Senior members of Zimbabwe ruling party reportedly injured after rally blast

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was unhurt and successfully evacuated on Saturday after an explosion hit where he was addressing a campaign rally, according to state media reports.

Members of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) shield Zimbabwean vice president Constantine Chiwenga (C) away after a bomb went off during a rally addressed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa (not pictured), at White City Stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 23 June 2018. [Photo: EPA/.INGER]

The explosion rocked White City Stadium in Bulawayo, a city in southwest Zimbabwe, where President Mnangagwa was addressing thousands of people at the campaign rally.

President Mnangagwa is unhurt and has been successfully evacuated, according to the reports.

According to the state-broadcaster ZBC, Vice President Kembo Mohadi has been reportedly injured on the leg and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The ruling ZANU-PF national chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri is also said to have been injured, according to the ZBC.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said they now await to hear from the police about the explosion and what could have caused it.

The broadcaster said three of its crew members who were on duty were also injured and have been taken to Mpilo Hospital for treatment.

It is still not yet clear how many people could have been injured as a result of the explosion.

According to the ZBC, indications are that the explosive could have been placed under the VVIP stage close to the exit which was used by President Mnangagwa and officials seated on the high table.

There have been several attempts on Mnanggwa's life, with the last incident happening last August when he was poisoned at a ZANU-PF rally in Gwanda, southern Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa took over power from former president Robert Mugabe who resigned in November last year after a military intervention.