Explosion near S China school kills 1

At least one person is killed in an explosion near Balijie Primary School of Guilin City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at around 7 a.m. on Monday. The injured have been hospitalized, and police are investigating the cause of blast.[Photo/Peng Qun]

At least one people was killed in an explosion near a school in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday morning.

Witnesses told Xinhua the explosion happened at around 8 a.m., when a man riding a three-wheeled motorcycle passed the entrance to Balijie Primary School in downtown Guilin.

A Xinhua reporter saw a body lying at the site, which was cordoned off by local police.

It is not clear if the casualties include students of the school, according to local police.

"First, the motorcycle caught on fire and then it exploded with a huge sound that could be heard from far, far away," a witness told Xinhua.

A dozen motorcycles are scattered around the explosion site and the window panes of some cars and stores by the school were damaged.

The injured have been hospitalized, and police are investigating the cause of blast.

Guilin, a popular tourist city in Guangxi, is famous for its karst scenery.