China blasts: Fuzhou government buildings hit Published duration 26 May 2011

media caption The BBC's Martin Patience on the investigation. This video has not been verified by the BBC

Three explosions have struck government buildings in eastern China's Jiangxi province, state media say.

Two people were killed and at least six injured in the blasts, in the city of Fuzhou.

The first blast came outside the offices of the state prosecutor and the other explosions hit the city's food and drug agency and a district administration office.

Officials say the cause of the blasts is being investigated.

One body was found in the district government building and another person died later in hospital, a local government official was quoted as saying.

The near-simultaneous blasts went off shortly after 0900 (0100 GMT), reports say.

One eyewitness told Xinhua news agency that most of the windows had been blown out at the eight-storey local prosecutor's office.

Other eyewitnesses said ambulances had arrived at the scene to take several injured people from the local government office to hospital.

At least 10 cars were said to have been destroyed in the explosions. Earlier unconfirmed reports said two of the blasts were caused by car bombs.

Extremely rare

Xinhua and several other news agencies said a local peasant unhappy about the handling of a legal dispute was thought to be responsible for the attacks, but such reports were later withdrawn by most state media.

Local government officials were scheduled to hold a news conference but this was cancelled at the last-minute.

Multiple bomb attacks in China are extremely rare, especially against government targets.

Analysts say the government will be alarmed by such an apparently well co-ordinated attack as it struggles with large numbers of disputes over land and living standards.

Earlier this month, more than 40 people were injured in a petrol bomb attack on a bank, carried out by a disgruntled former employee, in north-west Gansu province.

He had just been sacked for stealing money.