WENG'AN, Guizhou: Up to 30,000 people took part in the mass action in Weng'an county of Guizhou province on Saturday, torching government buildings and smashing and burning cars.

In its latest update, Xinhua said yesterday that trouble began when about 300 people, protesting against the authenticity of a police report on a 17-year-old girl's death, gathered at the county government and public security bureau around 3 pm.

The girl, Li Shufen, was a student of No 3 High School in Weng'an, and her body was found floating in a river on June 22. The girl was from a rural township and lived in a rented apartment in Weng'an.