NANJING, June 16 -- At least eight people have died after an explosion near a kindergarten in Fengxian County in east China's Jiangsu Province Thursday afternoon, local authorities said.

The blast occurred around 4:48 p.m. at the gate of the kindergarten. Two people died at the scene, and another six died later in hospital, according to the county government.

The police have preliminarily identified the blast as a criminal offense and have targeted the suspect.

As of 11 p.m., 65 people were injured in the blast and eight of them remained in critical condition.

More than 10 senior doctors from Nanjing and Wuxi cities of Jiangsu have rushed to the site of the blast.

No children or teachers were among the casualties.

A working team led by Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, has been sent to investigate the blast.

The provincial government has ordered checks of possible safety risks at production sites.