Blast outside UK embassy in Chile

12 April 2012

An explosion has occurred outside the British Embassy in Chile, the Foreign Office confirmed.

It is not yet known what caused the explosion outside the building in the capital, Santiago.

A Foreign Office spokesman said he was not aware of any casualties so far.

US TV station CNN reported that the blast was a small explosion that happened outside the British and Israeli embassies.

The explosion took place on Sunday night, and caused minor damage to the buildings.

It was caused by a small package that apparently contained gunpowder, a police spokesman told CNN.

The damage was limited to broken windows and dented doors, the spokesman said.

The Foreign Office website says 50,000 British tourists visit Chile annually and the threat from terrorism is low.

The website warns there are occasional acts of low-level domestic terrorism by left-wing groups, such as the exploding of noise bombs, but these have not been directed against foreigners.

It describes Chile as a "politically stable multi-party democracy" and says there are no current, active threats to the country's political stability.

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