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Explosion rocks Beijing park
Blast near offices of China's top leaders
May 13, 1997
Web posted at: 12:13 p.m. EDT (1613 GMT)In this story:
- Suicide bomber responsible?
- Security tight since March attack
- Young couple blamed for south China blast
- Related stories and sites
BEIJING (CNN) -- An explosion caused by a homemade bomb rocked a park near Beijing's Forbidden City and the offices of China's top leaders Tuesday, killing one person, Chinese sources said.
Residents living on the leafy streets near Zhongshan Park said a bomb exploded underneath a park bench at around 5 p.m.
Police declined to say whether the blast -- the third in China's capital since March -- was caused by a bomb or whether there were any casualties. But Chinese sources said at least one person was killed in the explosion and that it was apparently caused by a homemade bomb.
The explosion came a day after a bus explosion in south China killed five people and injured five others -- an attack police say was the work of suicide bombers.
Suicide bomber responsible?
Some residents near Zhongshan Park told the French news agency AFP that a suicide bomber was also responsible for the Beijing attack. But there was no immediate confirmation of that from any official source.
The park is located beside the Forbidden City, which was home to China's emperors. It is just across a narrow street from Zhongnanhai, a former imperial pleasure garden that now houses offices for senior Communist Party and government officials.
After the explosion, police blocked vehicles from using streets leading to the park for several hours, and soldiers at the park's west gate prevented people from entering. At twilight, five or six men could be seen inside the park, scrubbing and hosing down the area around a bench.
Officials at three hospitals said they had not received any casualties.
An official at a police station in the park was tight-lipped about what had happened.
"We will report the details to the public when we are ready," she said. "I can make no further comment."
Security tight since March attack
Security has been tight in Beijing since a bomb exploded on a rush-hour bus March 7, injuring eight people. China's state-controlled media said no one died but several people were wounded in that attack. Police have offered a reward but made no arrests.
Beijing was rocked by at least one other bombing in March, but no casualties were reported.
After the March bus attack, suspicion initially fell on separatist groups fighting for independence for Xinjiang, China's northwestern region dominated by Turkic-speaking Muslims. In February, nine people were killed and 74 injured in three bus bombings in Xinjiang's regional capital, Urumqui.
However, Beijing officials have discounted any link between the March bombing and the Xinjiang incidents. Rumors have also circulated that workers upset with being laid off from state-run factories have claimed responsibility.
Young couple blamed for south China blast
In south China Monday, a bus heading for Shunde city in Guangdong province was hit by an explosion that blew off the rear of the vehicle, according to a report from the China News Service in Hong Kong.
Four people were killed instantly, and another died on the way to the hospital. Five others were injured.
Police said the explosion was caused by a young couple who were among those killed.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related sites:
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- The Forbidden City - a virtual tour
- The Forbidden City - a photo essay of Beijing's Forbidden City
- China News Services
- Inside China Today
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