At least six dead in China explosions

The blasts were first heard about 3:50 p.m., rocking the seat of Liucheng county in the southern province of Guangxi, the South China Morning Post reported. At least 29 people were killed in a knife attack by Uighurs from western Xinjiang on a railway station in southwestern Kunming a year ago, while explosions struck county government offices in Jiangxi in 2011, set off by an aggrieved farmer who had lost his land.

The incident is being investigated as a criminal act, Xinhua reported.

One photo appeared to show a government building with its windows blown out.

“They sounded like someone was blasting rocks in the mountains”, Li said.

Initial reports suggest the explosives were placed inside delivery packages.

Zhou said the case was under investigation.

He did not name any suspects or offer any motive for the explosions.

A supermarket employee said the store was evacuated immediately when an adjacent supermarket was hit by the explosives. “It was very loud”, he said.

Pictures posted online, which could not be verified, showed portions of six-storey buildings gutted and collapsed, and streets littered with glass, bricks and other debris.

The blasts occurred throughout the afternoon, upturning cars and causing part of a large building to collapse.