7 killed, dozens hurt in explosion outside China kindergarten

XUZHOU, China — An explosion outside a kindergarten in eastern China killed at least seven people and injured nearly 70 on Thursday, leaving a chaotic scene as dozens, some clutching children, were thrown to the ground.

Images of dazed and injured people outside the Chuangxin kindergarten on the outskirts of Xuzhou circulated on Chinese social media. One video showed what appeared to be doctors trying to revive a toddler covered in blood.

In a video posted on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, a man yelled, “Now they are carrying out dead bodies!”

By Thursday evening, the Feng County government in Xuzhou said 66 people had been hurt, including nine with serious injuries, in addition to the seven confirmed dead. Some local news reports described the cause as a possible gas tank explosion.

It remains uncertain whether any of the dead or injured were from the kindergarten, a brightly painted building near housing built for poor residents. Officials suggested that none of the casualties were from the kindergarten.

“According to an initial check, the kindergarten was in class, and there were no casualties among its teachers and pupils,” Feng County authorities said online.

The timing of the explosion intensified worries about whether any children from the kindergarten had been affected. It happened shortly before 5 p.m., when parents and other relatives appeared to have gathered at the entrance, waiting for children to go home for the day. It is possible the parents and grandparents who had gathered to pick up the children had toddlers with them.

The blast appears likely to provoke public anger and worry about safety around schools, including dangerous chemicals, fire hazards and explosive materials.

In 2001, Zhu Rongji, then the premier, apologized about an explosion at a rural schoolhouse in southeast China that killed 42 people, including 38 children. Zhu had initially dismissed reports, which turned out to be true, that the children had been making fireworks.

In past incidents, deranged residents have also attacked schools, but officials made no suggestion that the explosion Thursday was deliberate.