China suicide bomber kills two over house demolition: Xinhua

BEIJING, China (AFP) – A woman blew herself up to protest the demolition of her house in southwest China on Thursday, May 10, killing two people and injuring 14, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The woman, who also died, was at a local government office in Yunnan province negotiating compensation for the loss of her home when she detonated explosives attached to her body, Xinhua said.

“We have opened an investigation. I can’t tell you anything, but three people were killed and 14 were injured,” said an official reached by telephone at the local government office, who refused to give his name.

“Of those (injured), four were badly hurt and are now on their way to hospital in Kunming,” he added, referring to the capital of Yunnan.

A witness told Xinhua the woman blew herself up after she was asked to sign documents relating to compensation, and was killed immediately.

No further details about the dispute were immediately available, but government land grabs and the forced relocation of citizens frequently trigger protests in China. – Agence France-Presse