Police investigate fatal explosion near fertility clinic in Palm Springs

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.

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.

Palm Springs police chief Andy Mills said the blast damaged several buildings, some severely.

He added that the identity of the person who was killed is not known.

California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement that the state is coordinating with local and federal authorities to respond to the incident.

US attorney general Pam Bondi has also been briefed on the incident, she said in a statement.

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.

The mayor of Palm Springs, Ron De Harte, told BBC's US partner CBS News that the source of the explosion "was in or near the vehicle."

The incident appears "intentional", lieutenant Mike Villegas with the Palm Springs police told reporters on Saturday afternoon. He added that 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" and that the FBI are on the scene to investigate if "this was an intentional act".

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.

But 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.