According to eye-witnesses, an explosion occurred in Beijing near the US Embassy.
An explosion in Beijing was caused by a man who lit up what could be a “fireworks” device and sustained a light injury, while there were no other victims, the police said Thursday.
“At around 13:00 local time [5:00 GMT] on July 26, a man lit up a suspected “fireworks” device at the crossing between Tianze Road and Anjialou Road and caused an explosion. The explosion only injured his hand, which is not a life threatening injury,” the police said in a statement on Weibo social network.
The suspect was quickly hospitalized.
“No one else was injured at the scene… Further investigation is under way,” the police said.
AP cited eyewitness photos on Twitter, reporting that the explosion occurred near the US Embassy in Beijing on Thursday; the pictures show large clouds of smoke.
Police cars surround the area in the north-eastern part of Beijing.
Beijing police on Thursday detained a woman over a suspected self-immolation attempt next to the US embassy, local media reported citing an eyewitness.
The detention took place at about 11 a.m. local time (3:00 GMT), the Global Times outlet reported.
It is unclear if the incident is linked to the explosion which reportedly occurred outside the US Embassy later in the day.
The US Embassy in Beijing commented to Sputnik on the situation, saying that “the exact circumstances of the incident are being investigated at the moment.”
BREAKING: Large EXPLOSION at ‘US embassy’ in Beijing – police scramble to scene
Unconfirmed- pic.twitter.com/voUnd1bdmM
— Nik Da-Koolchan (@DaKoolchanN) 26 июля 2018 г.
#explosion outside #usembassy in Beijing. Video from social media. pic.twitter.com/peWc4BcmpM
— Lily Lee (@lilyarieslee) July 26, 2018
Explosion at the US Embassy in Beijing. WTF? pic.twitter.com/yj5t1ZxaTA
— Wei (@wei_Calgary) July 26, 2018
The reports have not been confirmed by the police so far.
Chinese police examined a vehicle outside the embassy, according to a Reuters witness.