(Reuters) - A woman was injured on Saturday in an apparent explosion at a busy beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island, emergency officials said.

The small explosion occurred around noon at Salty Brine Beach on the state's southern coastline, according to state officials. The beach was evacuated after the incident.

A bomb squad was at the scene but it was not clear what caused the explosion.

"There is no real evidence of a device so we are still trying to piece this together as far as what could have caused this explosion," Kurt Blanchard of the Rhode Island Environment Police said in an interview with CNN. Blanchard confirmed the details with Reuters.

Officials from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said they were searching for a suspect they believe planted something in the sand before fleeing, according to CBS News.

The injured woman was sitting in a beach chair, in a group with other family members. She was taken to South County Hospital. Blanchard could not say how badly she was injured.

"They heard what sounded like a firecracker going off and they felt this concussion, which threw her from her chair," Blanchard said in the CNN interview.

There were no reports of other injuries.





(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas, Edward McAllister in New York and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee Illinois; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Frances Kerry)