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A series of "massive" explosions rocked the southern Chinese city of Liuzhou on Wednesday, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens, according to local police and state-run media.

A total of 17 explosions struck in and around the city, the regional Guangxi Police said in a statement. A local police chief told state news agency Xinhua that the blasts hit locations including a hospital, a food market and a bus station.

Web users post photos of a partly collapsed building in Guangxi following explosions; cause of blasts still unknown pic.twitter.com/up0rnbstuF — CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) September 30, 2015

State-run broadcaster CCTV cited a police chief saying the blasts were caused by "parcels containing explosives."

Guangxi Police said they were hunting a 33-year-old suspect in connection with the incidents, only giving the man's surname as Wei. The police said seven people had died in the blasts, with two people missing and some 50 injured.

Images posted to Twitter by the Chinese media outlets appeared to show partially collapsed buildings, rubble in the streets, and at least one plume of smoke above the city.

Update:3 killed, 13 injured in blasts, maybe by parcel explosives, in Liucheng county of S China's Guangxi (web pics) pic.twitter.com/Hm9JkImN7m — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 30, 2015

The incident is being investigated as a criminal act, Xinhua reported.