WORLD IN BRIEF : CHINA : Deaths Reported in Bus Explosion

A large explosion in the western Chinese city of Chengdu blew up a bus as it passed a giant statue of Mao Tse-tung, killing several people, residents said. The bus was blown onto its side, and windows in the area were shattered, one resident said. The explosion occurred at a busy intersection in the late afternoon while many people were going home from work. Residents of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, said they believed a bomb caused the explosion. Police refused to comment. A spokesman at the city’s No. 1 Hospital said victims of an undisclosed incident were receiving emergency treatment.