Suspect identified in China kindergarten blast, 8 killed

Police officers examine the entrance to a kindergarten in Fengxian County, east China's Jiangsu Province, on June 16, 2017, where an explosion killed at least eight people. [Photo: IC]

The suspected perpetrator in an explosion that happened on Thursday afternoon in east China's Xuzhou City was among the eight people killed in the incident, police said on Friday.

Police identified the suspect as a 22-year-old man surnamed Xu, a local resident of Quanshan District, Xuzhou of Jiangsu Province.

Police said they have collected evidence and completed DNA matching tests to prove Xu's identity.

Police officers examine the entrance to a kindergarten in Fengxian County, east China's Jiangsu Province, on June 16, 2017, where an explosion killed at least eight people. [Photo: IC]

Police have found materials for making explosives in Xu's rental apartment, where there are words "death" and "killing" on the wall.

Police said Xu had been suspended from school after he was diagnosed with "vegetative nervous function disturbances." He then found work and lived in the rented apartment.

The explosion left eight people dead, including Xu, and 65 others injured. Sources with the hospitals said Friday that among the eight severely injured, four have escaped life-threatening danger.

The blast occurred around 4:48 p.m. Thursday near the gate of a kindergarten in Fengxian County.