A twin explosion has hit a restaurant in the Indian town of Petlawad, Madhya Pradesh state, killing at least 89 people and injuring numerous others.
According to the Associated Press news agency quoting local police, a cooking gas cylinder exploded in the restaurant and triggered a second blast of mine detonators stored illegally nearby.
The explosion in the restaurant situated next to a main bus station reportedly occurred when it was crowded with people having breakfast.
According to AP, quoting a local medical official, Arun Sharma, doctors at a government hospital in the nearby district town of Jhabua conducted autopsies of 60 victims. The bodies were then handed over to the victims’ families.
Police said residents of affected buildings nearby were evacuated, as hundreds, including relatives of the dead, struggled to get a glimpse of the site of the explosion causing emergency rescue and ambulance services to progress slowly.
The second and deadlier blast was said to have been triggered by detonators, used by mine operators in digging wells, which had been stored illegally in a room close to the restaurant.