Beijing (AsiaNews) - At least six people were killed and dozens more injured as a series of explosions rocked fifteen locations across Guangxi province’s Liucheng county, Liuzhou city, on Wednesday afternoon, Chinese media reported. The blasts occurred at the seat of Liucheng county and the surrounding areas, with the first being heard at about 3.50pm, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Five victims died at the scene, while one died in hospital. Rescuers have been rushed to scene of the bomb blasts in Liuzhou city, in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Initial investigations showed that explosives could have been hidden inside express delivery packages.
Pictures online showed a building half-collapsed in Dapu township. Witnesses also saw vehicles damaged on the road. Residents said they heard explosions in the late afternoon, and that part of a building had collapsed, state-run CCTV said on Weibo.
Blasts were reported across fifteen locations, including a shopping mall, prison, a county government office, supermarket, transport station, hospital, staff dormitory of animal husbandry, vegetable market and diseases control centre, Nanguo Zaobao reported on Weibo.
Local authorities had activated their emergency response mechanism and that the local safety administration had sent out an emergency alert, saying the explosions were triggered by parcel bombs and calling on the public not to open parcels, the newspaper said.
So far there have been no claims whatsoever. Suspicions point to Islamic terrorism or to the Tibetan issue. But it could also be a sign of internal party struggle: the explosion corresponded with the presence of Xi Jinping at the UN, which crowned him a great world leader, and his return home. Some experts already believe the disaster in Tianjin is connected to a showdown for power.