Five villagers, including three children, were killed when a discarded bomb they were salvaging for scrap metal exploded in their kitchen, Chinese state media reported.

Two men trying to dismantle the 70 cm-long (2 ft 4 in) bomb and three young boys were killed in the blast, Xinhua news agency quoted local sources as saying late on Wednesday.

Two girls buried in the rubble of the house, in northwest China's Ningxia autonomous region, were rescued with only slight injuries.

The men had brought the rusted bomb home from Inner Mongolia and had hoped to sell it as scrap metal.

It was not known when the bomb was made or what type it was, Xinhua said.