Blast at China kindergarten triggered by home-made bomb
FENGXIAN, CHINA: A blast that killed eight people and injured dozens outside a kindergarten in eastern China on Thursday was triggered by a home-made bomb whose maker was among the dead, authorities said yesterday.
The public security ministry said the suspect was a 22-year-old man with health problems who rented a room near the kindergarten in Fengxian, where Thursday's blast occurred.
Police found material to make a home-made explosive device at the apartment, which had the words "die", "death" and "destroy" written on the wall.
The ministry's statement said the man, surnamed Xu, suffered from dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, a disorder that can cause heart and blood pressure problems. He had dropped out of school but was employed.
The motive was not immediately known and police did not say whether the kindergarten was the target.
Investigators concluded that the blast was caused by an explosive, ruling out previous reports suggesting it was an accidental explosion of a food stall's gas cylinder.
Yesterday, policemen wearing blue plastic around their shoes scoured the scene of the explosion in front of the kindergarten.
The education ministry later urged schools to strengthen security risk prevention.
A survivor told broadcaster CCTV from her hospital bed that the school gate had just opened for kids to leave, though none had come out when the fireball erupted.
The Fengxian county authorities said no teachers or students were among the casualties. - AFP
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