Man killed by blast at party HQ in China

One person has been killed and eight injured in a series of small explosions outside the provincial headquarters of the ruling Communist Party in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan, officials said.

By The Newsroom

Published 6th Nov 2013, 17:20 BST

The Shanxi provincial government and police said the blasts happened at about 7.40am local time.

Official statements posted online gave no information about the presumed target or perpetrators.

One of the injured was listed as serious and two vehicles were reported damaged.

Photos from the blast showed the street in front of the headquarters building closed off and fire engines, ambulances and police vehicles parked in the area. One showed a man lying on the ground, but there were no obvious signs of an explosion having taken place.

A street cleaner interviewed on state television said the explosives were planted in flower beds in two separate locations and that eight blasts were heard in all.

Footage showed the blast scene littered with nails and steel balls of various sizes, apparently packed into the bombs to cause maximum damage and injury. Blood stains were visible on the street and on the door of a damaged vehicle.