At least one person died after a bomb blast occurred close to a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, US, on Saturday.
Local authorities are describing the incident as an ‘intentional act of terrorism‘, media reports said.
Speaking of the blast, Palm Springs City Government said in a Facebook post: “The City of Palm Springs would like to advise the community that just before 11 a.m. this morning an explosion occurred on North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive.”
FBI Describes Explosion As Act Of Terrorism
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has described the incident as an ‘act of terrorism’.
Quoting Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, the agency wrote on X: “Asst Director Davis confirmed the FBI is investigating the Palm Springs explosion as an act of #terrorism being investigated by the #JTTF.”
The FBI said there is no known threat to public safety at this time.
Several Buildings Damaged
Palm Springs police chief Andy Mills was quoted as saying by BBC that several buildings were damaged due to the blast.
He said the identity of the deceased person is not known.
The American Reproductive Centers (ARC) said none of its employees were affected by the explosion.
ARC said the blast occurred close to its car park.
“This morning, an unexpected and tragic incident occurred outside our Palm Springs facility when a vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building,” ARC said.
“We are immensely grateful to share that no members of the ARC team were harmed, and our lab—including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials—remains fully secure and undamaged,” ARC said in a Facebook post.
Eye witness
Michael Beaumier, a witness, said he was knocked off his bike by the blast.
“It was that big of an explosion and I could hear windows shattering all around me,” he told BBC.
Rhino Williams, who was at his restaurant nearby, told the BBC he initially thought the explosion was a plane or helicopter crashing.
(With inputs from IBNS)
