At least six people were killed and thirteen more injured as a series of explosions rocked up to fifteen locations across Guangxi province’s Liucheng county, Liuzhou city, on Wednesday afternoon, Chinese media reported.
State-run Xinhua reported that 15 explosions happened in Liucheng county, killing at least six people and injuring many more. Among those killed, five people were certified at the blast sites, and one died after being rescued.
Liuzhou’s municipal government confirmed the blasts, which it said started at 3.50pm.
It said local police, firefighters as well as work safety, housing and health authorities have arrived at the scene for rescue and investigation.
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 in 13 locations, including at 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.