Explosion in China hospital kills 15- Report

Beijing, Apr 10: An explosion at a hospital China's northern province of Shanxi killed 15 people today and the death toll may rise, a health official and Xinhua news agency said.

The source of the blast was a garage in the Xuangang Coal and Power Co. Hospital in the small city of Yuanping, the agency said. Buildings within a 1-km radius suffered damage.

An official with the Yuanping Health Bureau told Reuters the cause of the explosion was unknown.

A resident who lives about 2 km from the blast told Reuters that windows in her neighbourhood were broken when the blast shook the city in the early hours of the morning.

The Xinhua report said a five-storey apartment building close to the explosion suffered ''severe damage''. It said China's armed militia had been mobilised to help rescue efforts.

A fire at a hospital in northeastern Jilin province killed 39 patients last December.

Reuters