Thousands riot in China village, 50 police injured

BEIJING - Thousands of villagers rioted in eastern China injuring dozens of police after two women among about 200 elderly anti-pollution protesters were killed during efforts by police to disperse them, villagers and officials said on Monday.

The rioting in Huankantou village, Huangtianfan township in the wealthy coastal province of Zhejiang, coincided with anti-Japanese protests in China's capital Beijing and the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen over the weekend.

Angry club-wielding villagers clashed with police in riot gear, overturned police cars and hurled rocks at policemen holed up in a local high school, villagers and local officials said by telephone. The women were protesting against pollution from nearby chemical factories.

More than 50 policemen were injured and rushed to hospital, with five listed in critical condition, a hospital doctor told Reuters. About four villagers were injured.

- REUTERS