China blast toll hits 4, including suspect

BEIJING: The death toll from a series of explosions at government buildings in eastern China carried out by a jobless man last week has risen to four including the suspect, state media said Tuesday.

The latest victim of the three blasts in Jiangxi province's Fuzhou city, a 34-year-old man, died in hospital on Sunday, Xinhua news agency cited a local government official as saying.

Four people were still in hospital following the May 26 explosions, one of them in critical condition, the report said.

A 52-year-old man identified as Qian Mingqi allegedly triggered explosions at the parking garage of the city prosecutor's office, at a district government office and near the city's food and drug agency.

Media reports said Qian was angry over a land dispute.

China sees thousands of protests and other public disturbances each year, often linked to anger over official corruption, government abuses and the illegal seizure of land for development.

Bomb attacks have been increasingly frequent in recent years and are typically carried out by individuals angry over perceived injustices, business disputes or other pressures associated with China's rapid modernisation.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011