Monday afternoon the Kunming Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) held its first press conference addressing the bus explosions that have sent ripples of shock and anxiety through what is normally one of China's most laid-back cities.
According to GoKunming sources at the press conference, there are officially two dead as a result of the blasts, with 14 reported injured. The dead passengers have been identified as Wang Dezhi (王德芝) a 30-year-old woman from the city of Mouding in Yunnan's Chuxiong prefecture. Chen Shifei (陈仕飞), a 26-year-old man from the town of Dayan in Yunnan's Lijiang prefecture, was the morning's other fatality. Chen was a student at the Lijiang Education Institute.
Liu Zhen, Director of News and Propaganda for the Kunming PSB, described the explosions as completely unexpected and that there was slightly more damage done in the first explosion, which took place just after 7:00 am at the Panjiawan stop on Renmin Xi Lu than the second explosion which occurred approximately an hour later at Renmin Xi Lu and Changyuan Lu.
Liu said that all the windows of both buses had been shattered by their respective explosions and the bus interiors both sustained significant damage. However, due to the limited range of the explosions, the effect of the explosions on people outside the buses was minor.
Currently Renmin Xi Lu and surrounding side roads are under police surveillance. The number of passengers on buses throughout the city has dropped noticeably, and it's more difficult than usual to get a taxi.
At present, Yunnan's provincial transportation, rail, aviation and security organs are on heightened alert, with increased street patrols on major roads and security checks at some locations aimed at finding the perpetrators behind the explosions. Border police have also been alerted at all of Yunnan's border crossings and airports.
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Two dead, 14 injured in Kunming bus explosions
According to GoKunming sources at the press conference, there are officially two dead as a result of the blasts, with 14 reported injured. The dead passengers have been identified as Wang Dezhi (王德芝) a 30-year-old woman from the city of Mouding in Yunnan's Chuxiong prefecture. Chen Shifei (陈仕飞), a 26-year-old man from the town of Dayan in Yunnan's Lijiang prefecture, was the morning's other fatality. Chen was a student at the Lijiang Education Institute.
Liu Zhen, Director of News and Propaganda for the Kunming PSB, described the explosions as completely unexpected and that there was slightly more damage done in the first explosion, which took place just after 7:00 am at the Panjiawan stop on Renmin Xi Lu than the second explosion which occurred approximately an hour later at Renmin Xi Lu and Changyuan Lu.
Liu said that all the windows of both buses had been shattered by their respective explosions and the bus interiors both sustained significant damage. However, due to the limited range of the explosions, the effect of the explosions on people outside the buses was minor.
Currently Renmin Xi Lu and surrounding side roads are under police surveillance. The number of passengers on buses throughout the city has dropped noticeably, and it's more difficult than usual to get a taxi.
At present, Yunnan's provincial transportation, rail, aviation and security organs are on heightened alert, with increased street patrols on major roads and security checks at some locations aimed at finding the perpetrators behind the explosions. Border police have also been alerted at all of Yunnan's border crossings and airports.
Related article:
Two dead, 14 injured in Kunming bus explosions
Approximately one hour later at 8:05, another bus exploded at the intersection of Renmin Xi Lu and Changyuan Lu, reportedly killing one passenger and injuring four.
As of 11:30 am, no official announcements regarding the explosions have been made by the Kunming police or municipal government.
According to reports, eyewitnesses at the Panjiawan incident described an extremely loud explosion and all the windows of the bus shattering, covering the street with glass.
A special task force comprised of provincial and municipal officials has been organized and dispatched to the scenes of the explosions and an investigation is underway.
A BBS on local internet portal clzg.cn has posted some photos of scenes from after the Panjiawan explosion.
Update: Reuters is reporting a third explosion in the vicinity of Minshan, and both Reuters and Al-Jazeera seem to be suggesting a possible connection between today's blasts and a violent clash between farmers and police at a rubber plant in southern Yunnan's Menglian (孟连) on Saturday in which two farmers were killed and 54 people – including 41 police – were injured.
Video of the Panjiawan blast's wreckage has been posted by the website ChinaNews.com.
Shanghai Daily is reporting that the Kunming municipal government will hold a press conference about the blasts this afternoon, citing a CCTV report.
Update 3: Sources at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport have told GoKunming that at least one flight has been delayed due to weather-related reasons, despite no apparent inclement weather.
Top image: Yunnan.cn
