Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

China Nursery Blast: Seven dead, 59 Injured in Jiangsu | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55376653
Caption:

Seven people were killed and at least 59 injured on Thursday in an explosion at a kindergarten in eastern China, state media said.

Official news agency Xinhua said the blast took place just outside the kindergarten in Fengxian county in the eastern province of Jiangsu as parents were parents were picking up their children at around 5 p.m..

The cause of the blast is not clear and it is not known how many children are among the casualties.

The newspaper Xiandaikuaibao on its website cited an unidentified witness as saying the explosive appeared to have been a bottle of cooking gas.

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.

Two people died on the spot and five more died of their injuries, while 59 people were injured, nine among them being treated for severe injuries, Xinhua reported.

Unverified images posted on 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.

Police from Xuzhou city urged social media commentators to share only information from official channels after some users posted videos of an April explosion, saying they depicted Thursday’s incident.