A powerful explosion caused by a cooking gas cylinder tore through a crowded restaurant in central India on Saturday, killing at least 25 people and injuring scores of others, police said.
The force of the explosion caused the roof of the building to cave in, and the death toll is expected to rise as concrete slabs are removed from the restaurant, located in the town of Petlawad in Madhya Pradesh state, said a Petlawad police officer.
Twenty-five bodies were pulled out of the debris as rescue workers searched for survivors, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
The restaurant, located near the town's bus station, was crowded with people having breakfast when the blast occurred.
Residents were evacuated from several adjoining buildings that were damaged in the blast, the police officer said.
Police struggled to keep hundreds of onlookers and people looking for their relatives away from the site. The crowds hampered the movement of ambulances and other emergency vehicles, and officers had to push them back to allow a bulldozer to reach the restaurant, the officer said.
Petlawad is about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of New Delhi.
(AP)
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