An explosion at a restaurant in Anhui province on Saturday has claimed the lives of at least 17 people. According to Chinese state media, the blast at the eatery in Wuhu city was caused by a gas cylinder.

Investigators are reportedly looking into what caused the cylinder to explode.

The blast, which occurred at lunchtime in the city, was followed by a fire. It is unclear exactly how many people were in the restaurant at the time that the explosion occurred.

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The restaurant that went up in flames is located in an alley where there are many other eateries. Images posted by CCTV on social media showed firefighters battling to put out the fire as thick plumes of smoke rose from the building. Xinhua also posted images on social media showing the police attempting to cordon the area from people as firefighters crowded near the charred remains of the building.

A worker in a nearby restaurant told AP by phone that people, who rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers soon after the explosion, struggled to put out the fire. "...there was a lot of smoke and it was quite fierce and already blocked the door," the man, only identified by his surname Wang, said.

Last year, an explosion in a restaurant in Xiamen, Fujian province, claimed about 3 casualties and left up to 4 people injured. Investigators later concluded that the blast was caused by a gas cylinder. Chinese authorities have been particularly keen on enforcing safety regulations in workplaces following a series of explosions at the Tianjin port in August that left about 173 people dead and more than 700 injured.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, 10 miners got trapped underground after a gas explosion at a coal mine in Jiangxi province. Rescuers are working to reach the men, who were reportedly working when the blast occurred. Authorities have since taken the owner of the mine into custody, according to Chinese state media.

TagsRestaurant Explosion East China, Anhui Province Restaurant Explosion, China Restaurant Gas Explosion