ob�����ӿ�

• A vehicle exploded outside a California fertility clinic, killing one person in a bomb attack.
• The FBI is investigating alongside police and firefighters, with bomb technicians on the scene.
• The clinic reported no harm to staff or damage to reproductive materials.

A vehicle exploded outside a California fertility clinic, killing one person in what the local mayor described as a bomb attack.

Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte told the Los Angeles Times in a text message that “a bomb in or near a vehicle parked at the building” caused the blast around 11am (local time).

The FBI said in a statement it was responding alongside police and firefighters, and that it had dispatched investigators and “bomb technicians”.

US police later said the blast was likely an “intentional” act and confirmed reports that one person had been killed.

“The blast appears to be an intentional act of violence and the blast extends for blocks with several buildings damaged,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement, adding that the incident was likely isolated.

Aerial footage of the scene broadcast by CNN showed nearby buildings whose tile roofs were dislodged by the blast.

The American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, which was not open at the time, described the incident as “unexpected and tragic”.

“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,” it added in a statement on Facebook.

The post contained a photo of the clinic with dark smoke billowing from a large hole in its facade.

California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that he had been briefed on the incident and called on residents to avoid the area.

US conservatives are divided on fertility treatments such as IVF, with many hailing them as a boost to American families.

Others, with strong beliefs that life begins at conception, oppose IVF because the procedure can produce multiple embryos, not all of which get used.

-Agence France-Presse