Four injured as man triggers explosion at Shanghai airport

Beijing: At least four people got injured, including a woman and a Filipino man when a man today threw an “explosive wine bottle” triggering a blast at China’s second biggest airport in the commercial hub of Shanghai.

The blast at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the city’s main international airport, occurred at around 2:20 pm near a check-in counter at Terminal 2, when an apparent “home-made” explosive blew up, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting Shanghai Airport Authority, which manages the airport.

The male suspect threw an “explosive wine bottle”, and then went on to cut his own throat, Xinhua posted on its Twitter handle.

He is currently in ICU, it said, adding that four persons other than the suspect were injured and have been admitted to the hospital.

The injured include a 53-year-old Philippine man, as well as a 67-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman, both of whom are
Chinese. They sustained injuries to their heads, hands and legs, doctors said.

An initial investigation has found evidence suggesting that the man’s injury could have been self-induced, hinting he might have set off the blast.

There was no disruption to flights in or out of the airport, according to authorities.

The area was cordoned off by authorities, who have launched an investigation into the blast.

Eyewitnesses said that passengers ran for safety after a loud bang rocked the hall.

”A beer bottle filled with white smoke rolled right by my feet. I was scared and ran at once,” said an eyewitness.

Photos and video clips posted online showed dense grey smoke at the terminal, and paramilitary security forces rushing into the building. They also showed police keeping people away from the scene and abandoned luggage littering the floor.

In 2013, a wheelchair-bound man set off a bomb at Beijing airport to highlight a personal grievance. He later received a
six-year prison sentence.

(With inputs from PTI)

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