Happening Now: Subway Line 1 Service Interrupted, Tiananmen East Subway Station Temporarily Closed
Update: A fire caused by the explosion of a sports utility vehicle in Tiananmen Square is delaying traffic passing through the area, both surface vehicles and Beijing Metro trains, according to reports from Twitter.
Both fire and police department personnel responding, China's official Xinhua News Agency stated in a post on Twitter. The vehicle explosion killed the driver and three passengers, according to the South China Morning Post. It is not clear whether the vehicle lost control or whether this was an act of terrorism.
Photos from Twitter show what appears to be a barricade or car on fire.
Stay with the Beijinger for more updates on transport delays relating to the fire.
Image: Twitter.com/weibo.com
Update 2:46pm: According to AP several tourists and policemen were also injured. Shanghaiist has posted some additional pictures of the scene.
Update 3:01pm: Xinhua reports 11 injuries.
Update 10/29/13 9am: Today's headline in the Global Times: Tiananmen Jeep Crash Kills 5, Police Name Xinjiang Suspects.
Five people were killed and 38 injured after a jeep ploughed through crowds before it crashed and caught fire close to the Tiananmen rostrum in Beijing on Monday, local police said on its official Sina Weibo. The driver and two passengers in the jeep were killed at the scene and another two tourists, a woman from the Philippines and a man from Guangdong Province in southern China, died of severe injuries, Beijing police said in a posting on its official microblog account. Another 38 tourists and police officers, including a male and two female Filipinos and one Japanese man were also injured in the incident. The jeep crashed into a railing of the Jinshui Bridge outside the southern gate of the Forbidden City before bursting into flames at 12:05 pm, police said.
Update 3:05pm: According to @MalcolmMoore of TheTelegraph, Tiananmen Square is closed and will not reopen for rest of day. "Massive activity underway."
