1 Killed in Explosion Outside Central China Bank

One person has died and several others have been injured in an explosion at a bank in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

A city fire and rescue official says the explosion occurred early Thursday evening outside a branch of state-owned China Construction Bank.

The official says that there was no resulting fire and that the cause of the explosion is unknown. Like many Chinese bureaucrats, the official would give only his surname, Zhou, because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said he was not clear about how many people were injured.

Accidental gas explosions occur with some frequency in Chinese cities, while homemade bombs are often used in committing crimes or in revenge attacks because of tight controls on gun ownership.