XUZHOU, CHINA — At least eight people died and a further 65 were injured in an explosion at a kindergarten in eastern China on Thursday. <br /> <br />The blast occurred in Xuzhou, in the coastal province of Jiangsu at around 5 p.m. when parents and other relatives were gathered outside the gates waiting for class to finish, the New York Times reported. <br /> <br />Witnesses told local media that a gas cylinder at one of the food stalls outside the kindergarten may have caused the explosion, according to the South China Morning Post. <br /> <br />It is unclear whether any children from the kindergarten were injured but reports suggest they were inside the building, so were shielded from the blast. <br /> <br />However, citing state-run Xinhua news agency, Reuters reports investigators have said that the explosion was a “criminal act” and that they have identified a suspect.
