An explosion near an eastern Chinese kindergarten today killed seven people and wounded 66 others, according to a report from CNN.com.
Chinese authorities have not revealed what caused the explosion, but Fengxian government officials said on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, that no children or teachers died in the blast which occurred just outside the Chuangxin Kindergarten at approximately 4:50 p.m. local time.
The BBC reports that some have said the explosion was caused by a gas canister at a food stall, but this is unconfirmed.
"The police and related departments rushed to the scene as soon as it was reported and conducted rescue and investigation work on the site," police said on Weibo. "Currently, the investigation work is still underway."
Two people reportedly died immediately from the blast, while five others died from injuries after being taken to a hospital. Nine of the injured are said to be in critical condition.
Graphic images of injured children have been circulated by Chinese media, but CNN reports that they were unable to confirm the validity of the photos.
Fengxian officials also have not responded to CNN’s request for information.
Fengxian is located in China’s Jiangsu province, between Beijing and Shanghai. It has a population of 1.2 million people.
Photo: ©Thinkstock/PeterHermesFurian
Publication date: June 15, 2017
