Explosion at Shanghai Pudong Airport caused by “self-made explosives,” at least 4 injured
SHANGHAI – A blast caused by “self-made explosive materials” injured four people at a terminal in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport on Sunday, the Shanghai Airport Authority said. One of the victims is in serious condition.
The blast at China’s second-busiest airport occurred at about 2:20pm and appeared to have been caused by a homemade explosive, the airport’s management said on its verified microblog account.
According to Shanghai Daily, witnesses said an object, which looked like a cracker, exploded in the hand of a male passenger as he lined up to check-in. He was among the injured.
The blast took place at check-in area C in Terminal 2, where flights operated by Thai Airways and Philippine Airlines are handled. Reports indicate that the explosion was caused by a homemade explosive device constructed using firecrackers.
A report on Sina.com said two luggage items had exploded with five seconds of each other. The luggage were then 15m apart, the report said. A report on the portal said four people had been injured, one of them seriously.
It quoted a passenger identified only by her surname Xue as saying that she heard a man yelling “No!” and “Ah!” shortly before the blast as she was checking in for her flight to Thailand.
Passengers scrambled to run to safety as the explosion occurred, said Ms Xue. A video posted on Sina.com shows a plume of smoke rising from the airport counters.
#UPDATE Blast at Shanghai Pudong Airport caused by firecrackers, injuries reported; police investigation underway pic.twitter.com/GjjQEDiHlD
— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) June 12, 2016
#UPDATE At least 4 injured, one in serious condition, after #Shanghai Pudong Airport explosion pic.twitter.com/zzPTHNyxhi
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) June 12, 2016
