20000216

Blast at Tiananmen Square

BEIJING: An explosion ripped through Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Tuesday, a police spokeswoman told Reuters, but there was no immediate word on the cause or whether there were any injuries or damage. Witnesses said the square was sealed off and only police and their vehicles were allowed on to the vast plaza, where members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement have been staging repeated demonstrations over the past year.

"We are investigating an explosion in Tiananmen Square," the police spokeswoman said. "Right now we can't give any details."

Police were stopping cars passing around the square and checking the identity papers of pedestrians.

China has just completed Lunar New Year celebrations, and explosions caused by fireworks are common around China at this time of year. However, fireworks are banned in central Beijing.-Reuters