Car blast in China kills three people and injures at least two others

A car exploded in China on Friday morning killing three people and injuring at least two others, mainland media reports.

The blast took place in the city of Penglai, in Shandong province, in the east of the country at about 8am, The Beijing News reported.

An official at the city’s publicity department said a criminal investigation was underway after initial inquiries showed that the explosion was  suspicious. The report did not say what caused the blast.

Witnesses said a Hyundai sports utility vehicle (SUV) was outside a shop on a busy main road in Daliuxing township when it exploded and the flames then set fire to numerous other vehicles.

The report did not say whether the vehicle had been parked, or was moving at the time of the explosion

Pictures posted on social media by internet users showed a number of cars on the fire and car parts scattered all over the street.

“The bang was really loud – like the firing of a cannon,” the owner of a clothing shop near the scene of the blast told the newspaper.