One person killed in serial blasts in Chinese city as eyewitnesses report hearing ’20 explosions’ from high-rise apartment building
- Explosions occurred this afternoon in the busiest part of Changchun, China
- They took place in the basement and on the 30th floor of an apartment building
- Social media footage shows residents screaming and fleeing for their lives
- Witnesses reported hearing over 20 explosions and people had been evacuated
- Police are treating the incident as a criminal case as investigation is underway
At least one person has been killed and another injured in a series of explosions in a high-rise building in north-eastern China on Friday, local officials said.
The blast happened this afternoon local time, in the Wanda Plaza Apartment Building in Changchun, city authorities said in a statement posted on social media.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing over 20 explosions and people had been evacuated from buildings surrounding the Wanda Plaza Apartment, the state-run Beijing Youth Daily newspaper reported.
Official statements said the first blast occurred when a car in the car park in the basement exploded at 3:13pm local time (7:13 GMT). The second blast took place in an office on the 30th floor of the same building three minutes later.
Pictures circulating on Chinese social media appear to show people watching on (right) and fleeing the scene (left) after the explosion. A 30th-floor office exploded today in Changchun
Eyewitnesses reported hearing over 20 explosions and people had been evacuated from buildings surrounding the Wanda Plaza Apartment, according to Beijing Youth Daily
Police are treating the incident as a criminal case while carrying out further investigation, according to an updated statement.
The explosions occurred on Hongqi Jie, the busiest part of the city.
City officials said in the statement that one person was killed in the explosions after being trapped in the office and was later found dead by rescuers.
Social media footage showed a busy road shrouded in smoke as devices exploded on the ground while people fled.
While another clip shows people watching on from the street as the unit was rocked by the blast.
Rescuers, including firefighters and paramedics, have attended to the scene.
Cause of the explosions is under investigation.
The blast happened in the Wanda Plaza Apartment Building (pictured) in central Changchun
Changchun is the provincial capital of Jilin and one of the largest cities in northern China
Changchun is the provincial capital of Jilin and one of the largest cities in northern China. It has more than 7.4 million residents.
Wanda Plaza Apartment is part of the Dalian Wanda Group, owned by Chinese business magnate Wang Jianlin, once the richest man in the country.
He is estimated to be worth $22.9 billion (£17.5 billion) and is the fourth richest person in China in 2018, according to Forbes.