At least 60 people have been killed and dozens have been injured after an explosion destroyed a two-story restaurant in India’s Madhya Pradesh, police reported.
“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 .
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.
