Suicide bomber kills 4 at family's dinner table in central China

Suicide bomber kills 4 at family's dinner table in central China

2012-01-24 02:49:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

CHANGSHA, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Four people were killed on late Sunday morning when a man detonated explosives at his cousin's dinner table in central China, state-run media reported on Monday. The bomber was also killed.

The attack happened at around 11:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, China's Lunar New Year's Eve, when a suicide bomber attacked his cousin's home in the village of Tielu in Lianyuan City, which is located in Hunan province.

Police told the state-run Xinhua news agency that the man, who was only identified with his last name Liao, broke into his cousin's house with explosives strapped to his body. He then detonated his explosives at the family's dinner table.

Xinhua said the blast killed Liao, his cousin, the cousin's parents, and a child. Six others were seriously injured and rushed to a local hospital, but all of them were believed to be in a stable condition on Monday, the report said.

The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear, but police believe it may have involved a dispute over land. Liao had returned to the village several days earlier after working in a city for several years, Xinhua said.

Suicide attacks in China are extremely rare. In May 2011, a series of bomb blasts targeted government buildings in the southeastern city of Fuzhou City, killing the bomber and two others. The attack was reportedly carried out by an angry farmer.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-24