BEIJING, : Thousands of people in east China's Shandong province rioted last week, storming a government building and smashing equipment after an official vehicle ran over and killed a vendor, a human rights group and residents said.

The riot -- one of the largest in recent years -- occurred on October 28, a day after a confrontation between officials and a man selling fresh pancakes from a roving stove-wagon in Zhoucheng city.

On October 27, the vendor, surnamed Shao, was selling the popular egg and onion pancakes when some employees from the "city management" department confiscated his wagon and loaded it onto their vehicle, sources said.

Shao -- seeing his source of livelihood being carted away -- blocked the vehicle's path.

He was run over as a crowd watched, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said.

The next day, several thousand people stormed the city's communist party government offices, breaking through a police line of some 800 officers, residents and the Center said.

Rioters broke down doors to 20 rooms in the building and destroyed equipment, the Center said, adding that police arrested up to 200 protestors.

Officials Monday admitted to AFP a riot had occurred, but said only several dozen people took part.

"On October 28, several dozen people went to the city government to appeal, including family of the vendor. It was crowded. They smashed windows. There were many onlookers. These people stormed into the city government," said a man at the government office.

"They have ulterior motives. The police came and arrested some people. This has been resolved," he insisted.

He said the riot happened after the vendor's family members had left the building and declined to say how many people had been arrested.

Residents living nearby said several thousand people took part in the riot.

"We heard there were several thousand people," said a man who lives near the street where the vendor was killed.

Authorities in the city have called in backup forces and the city is now guarded by large numbers of People's Armed Police -- an arm of the People's Liberation Army.

The Center's director Frank Lu said the vendor's death ignited a strong reaction from residents because they were already angry with officials over unreasonable and harsh tactics.

"They are trying to cover up this incident. Several police officers confirmed to me several thousand people protested. A few days later, they said several hundred. Now they're telling reporters several dozen," said Lu.

- AFP