Seven have been reported dead and at least 50 more injured, many in critical condition, in an explosion outside of a kindergarten center in the city of Xuzhou, in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu on Thursday. The explosion is said to have occurred just before 5 p.m., and according to the New York Times, local Chinese media is saying that the situation was caused by a possible gas tank explosion.
Pictured above, Xuzhou is described as a “gritty industrial city” known for being a transportation hub in northwestern Jiangsu. Unverified photos and video from the scene soon began circulating on Chinese social media, depicting a “chaotic” scene with many children and adults lying bleeding on the ground.
One video showed what appeared to be doctors trying to revive a toddler, who was covered in blood. Another showed adults and children lying on the street, apparently unconscious.
In a video posted on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, a man yells, “Now they are carrying out dead bodies!”
The Telegraph notes that this would not be the first time a kindergarten has been targeted in China, in what is described as “revenge attacks carried out by people bearing grudges against their neighbors and society.”
(Via New York Times, Telegraph)