This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvme1e8gd5o
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Police investigate explosion in Palm Springs, California | Police investigate explosion in Palm Springs, California |
(32 minutes later) | |
Officials in Palm Springs, California are investigating a car explosion on Saturday morning that killed one person and damaged a fertility clinic. | |
The explosion happened just before 11:00 local time (19:00 BST) less than a mile from downtown Palm Springs, near several businesses including the American Reproductive Centres. | The explosion happened just before 11:00 local time (19:00 BST) less than a mile from downtown Palm Springs, near several businesses including the American Reproductive Centres. |
In a statement, the fertility clinic said no one from their facility was harmed but that one person was killed and several were injured. | In a statement, the fertility clinic said no one from their facility was harmed but that one person was killed and several were injured. |
Palm Springs police confirmed the death and called the incident an "intentional act of violence", but have not released further details. | |
California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement that the state is coordinating with local and federal authorities to respond to the incident. | California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement that the state is coordinating with local and federal authorities to respond to the incident. |
The American Reproductive Centres in Palm Springs said that the vehicle explosion occurred in the parking lot near its building. | |
It is unclear what the cause of the explosion was. | It is unclear what the cause of the explosion was. |
Lieutenant Mike Villegas with the Palm Springs police told reporters on Saturday afternoon that the incident appears "intentional", but said it remains an active investigation. | |
US attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a post on X that the Justice Department was "aware of the explosion that occurred this morning in Palm Springs". | US attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a post on X that the Justice Department was "aware of the explosion that occurred this morning in Palm Springs". |
He added the FBI are also on the scene and investigating if "this was an intentional act". | |
The fertility clinic said their lab, including all eggs and embryos, remain "fully secure and undamaged". | The fertility clinic said their lab, including all eggs and embryos, remain "fully secure and undamaged". |
"We are heavily conducting a complete safety inspection and have confirmed that our operations and sensitive medical areas were not impacted by the blast," the fertility clinic said in its statement. | "We are heavily conducting a complete safety inspection and have confirmed that our operations and sensitive medical areas were not impacted by the blast," the fertility clinic said in its statement. |
However, Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the clinic, told The Associated Press that the clinic's office was damaged. | |
"I really have no clue what happened," he said. "Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients." | |
According to its website, the American Reproductive Centers clinic is the first full-service fertility center and in vitro fertilisation lab (IVF) in the Coachella Valley. | |
It offers services like fertility evaluations, IVF, egg donation and freezing, reproductive support for same-sex couples and surrogacy. | |
The BBC has reached out to Palm Springs police for further comment. | |
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. | This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. |
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. | You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. |