Eight people have died and 65 have been injured in an explosion at a kindergarten in eastern China that police described as a "criminal" act.
This screengrab taken from a broadcast by China's State broadcaster CCTV shows the aftermath of an explosion outside a kindergarten in the eastern Chinese city of Xuzhou. Photo: AFP
State news agency Xinhua reported that police had made a preliminary judgement that the blast was a "criminal offence", and they had identified a suspect.
Many parents were picking up their children when the blast hit about 5pm local time near the entrance of the kindergarten in Xuzhou, in the coastal province of Jiangsu, the news agency said.
Two people died on the spot and six more died of their injuries in hospital. Xinhua reported the official number of injured was at 65 by 11pm, with eight in critical condition.
Pictures circulating on Chinese social media showed about a dozen women and children lying on the ground in what appeared to be the immediate aftermath of the blast.
One video showed an injured woman with scorched clothing staggering unsteadily, while others sat on a floor holding crying children in their arms.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos. None of the casualties were children or teachers, Xinhua said.
Blasts and other accidents are common in China, because of patchy enforcement of safety rules, although the government has pledged to improve checks to stamp out such incidents.
Police from Xuzhou city urged social media commentators to share only information from official channels after some users posted videos of an April explosion which they said depicted Thursday's incident.
- Reuters
