Xinhua is reporting, and Twitter/Weibo posts are illustrating, that there has been an explosion at the Communist Party Headquarters in Taiyuan City, Shanxi province. Xinhua writes that ball bearings were scattered at the scene, indicating that the explosion was triggered by some kind of homemade bomb.
Updating with most recent news at top:
4:52 PM: Malcolm Moore, Beijing correspondent of the Daily Telegraph tells us of an interesting sideshow:
Sideshow: Japanese hacks have to be protected by police after locals kick them at the scene of bombing
— malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) November 6, 2013
Here's the anti-Japan mob outside the CCP hq in Taiyuan pic.twitter.com/NSHmPCuX2k
— malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) November 6, 2013
1:51 PM: Xinhua has released more photos depicting the scene of the explosion and is now reporting that at least seven “explosive sounds” were heard in Taiyuan this morning. “Steel beads & circuit boards” have been found scattered all over the ground.
11:25 AM: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that at least one has been killed and eight others injured from the blast:
A report posted to the Shanxi provincial news website said at least one person had died in the blasts, while another was seriously injured. Seven others received light injuries, the report said.
Reached by phone, a worker in the building confirmed the blasts. “I heard several explosions on my way into the office,” the worker said.
11:15 AM: CCTV English reports that there may have been as many as half a dozen explosions in Taiyuan this morning, and includes several photos from the event:
10:40 AM: This photo has cropped up on Twitter, showing the ball-bearings used in the explosive:
Xinhua has been faster than usual to get details out about the event, and are currently reporting that one has been injured (perhaps the person in the image above).
As of 10:15 AM:South China Morning Post has run an article on the explosion, saying:
The blasts occurred at around 7.40am on Wednesday, according to reports on Chinese social media. Seven explosions were heard, the Beijing Youth Daily said in a microblog post.[…]
CCTV says more than twenty vehicles have been damaged. The national broadcaster said the explosive devices were hidden in roadside flowerbeds.
The streets around the building have been closed off. Photos shared on social media show fire trucks and ambulances.
[Images via Sina]
