At least 44 dead in blast at packed Indian restaurant - police
Published time: 12 Sep, 2015 05:38
Edited time: 12 Sep, 2015 08:07
People gather around the site of an explosion at a restaurant in Jhabua district in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on September 12, 2015. / AFP
At least 44 people have been killed and dozens have been injured after an explosion destroyed a two-story restaurant in India’s Madhya Pradesh, police reports.
“The restaurant was in a tightly packed locality and a lot of people were here having breakfast, that is why the casualties are so high,” Seema Alava, additional police superintendent for Jhabua, told Agence France-Presse from the site by phone.
The blast, which ripped through the restaurant in Jhabua district, is believed to be a burst of a gas cylinder.
It occurred in the town of Petlawad at about 8:30 a.m. local time (5 AM GMT).
44 people died and another 60 were injured in the explosion, Inspector B.L. Gaur told Reuters.
"There was a second explosion, there were more casulaties," Gaur said. He added the restaurant was next to a building where gelatine sticks used at construction sites were stored.
The second floor of the restaurant was reportedly occupied by a hotel.
Buildings next to the blast site have also been considerably damaged.
Rescue workers have been searching for survivors in the debris. The blast site has been cordoned off by police.
The restaurant was situated close to a busy bus stop, which explains the high number of casualties, AFP reported, citing Anurag Mishra, an official from the district police control room.
