Beijing: Four people were killed and 19
injured on Saturday in a blast at a tax office in central China that
police said appeared to be a deliberate attack, state media
reported.
The explosion went off at about 4:15 pm on the third
floor of a district tax office in Changsha, capital of Hunan
province, Xinhua news agency said, quoting a police statement.
According to police, initial investigations indicated it
was a planned attack, Xinhua said. The report gave no details
of possible suspects or the motive for the attack.
Police sealed off the building in central Changsha and
blocked nearby roads for investigation after workers were
evacuated, Xinhua said.
All the windows on the third floor were shattered and
large blood stains could be seen on the stairs, the news
agency said.
China sees thousands of cases of violent social unrest
each year, typically as marginalised segments of society lash
out over illegal seizures of their land, environmental
degradation, government corruption or other grievances.
Separately, in the northeastern province of Jilin, one
person was killed and 20 injured in a series of blasts at a
barber`s shop, Xinhua said.
Four firefighters were among those injured in the
explosions which occurred around 4:45 pm today in the
provincial capital Changchun.
Firefighters and workers from a gas supply company were
at the site, it said.
Police were investigating the cause of the explosions.
PTI
