- At least eight people were killed and 65 injured after an explosion struck a kindergarten in Fengxian city of eastern China
- The attack happened when relatives were picking up their children
- Reports said that the suspect was killed on scene and that blast is being treated as a “criminal offence”
- The attacker was killed on scene and the explosion was a “bomb” blast
- Police officials said that attacker suffered from a neurological disorder
Attacker Had Neurological Disorder, Say Officials
The man who set off a self-made explosive device outside a Chinese kindergarten killing eight people and injuring 65 others on Thursday had a neurological disorder and had scrawled words for death on the walls of his home, officials said on Friday.
The 22-year-old man, surnamed Xu, was among those killed in the blast near the entrance to the kindergarten in Xuzhou, a city in the coastal province of Jiangsu, police said in a briefing shown on state television.
The official Xinhua news agency said police were considering the act a “criminal offence”.
Xu had dropped out of an unnamed school due to his neurological condition and rented an apartment near the kindergarten, China Central Television said.
Self-made explosive device materials were found in his apartment, and on the walls in many places were handwritten words such as kill, death, destroy and terminate.China Central Television
7 Killed, 59 Injured in Explosion at a Kindergarten in Eastern China
Seven people died and 59 were injured after an explosion struck the entrance of the Chuangxin Kindergarten in Fengxian city of eastern China, according to the Xuzhou city government.
The government said that the blast was under investigation.
According to the government, two people died at the scene and five others died at a hospital. At least four others were seriously injured.
The attack happened when the relatives were picking up their children at the end of the school day, local officials said.
Pictures and Videos From The Scene of Explosion
Pictures and videos from the scene of explosion have surfaced on social media. They show several people lying injured on the ground as medical services arrive.
Police say an explosion struck the entrance of a kindergarten in eastern China on Thursday, with reports saying there have been casualties.
Police officials say they're investigating and have no word yet on injuries or deaths.
However, state media reports say people have been hurt and photos purportedly from the scene and posted to social media showed children and adults lying on the ground, some bleeding.
Police say the blast struck at 4:50 pm Thursday at the Chuangxin Kindergarten in the city of Fengxian in Jiangsu province.
It wasn't clear whether the blast was an accident or deliberately set. The newspaper Xiandaikuaibao on its website cited an unidentified witness as saying the explosive appeared to have been a bottle of cooking gas.
Calls to the kindergarten and local hospitals went unanswered.
Kindergartens in China have been targeted before in apparent revenge attacks carried out by people bearing grudges against their neighbors and society.
China maintains tight control over firearms and most attacks are carried out using knives, axes or homemade explosives.
(With inputs from AP)
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