Explosion kills at least one at bank in central China

Dec 1, 2011, 12:48 GMT

Beijing - At least one person died and several others were injured after an explosion at the entrance to a bank in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday, state media and local websites reported.

Unconfirmed online reports said a bomb was believed to have caused the blast at a China Construction Bank branch in Wuhan's Guanshan district around 5:30 pm (0930 GMT).

Firefighters were investigating the blast, but police had ruled out the possibility of a gas explosion, the government's Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying.

At least six injured people were seen 'lying on the ground injured' and were treated at local hospitals, the agency said.

The Southern Daily newspaper and other media reported that at least one person had died.

Unconfirmed reports on local websites quoted witnesses as saying a bomb was placed near the door of the bank and then detonated.

Photographs posted online showed wood, glass and other debris scattered near the extensively damaged front of the bank.

The use of explosives and small bombs by people involved in business and personal disputes is relatively common in some parts of China, where crude explosives are widely available.

State media have reported many revenge attacks against officials by organized criminals or aggrieved individuals in recent years.