17 killed in China restaurant blast

The dead students, aged 15 to 20, came from nearby schools. Three others including a father-son duo were also killed in the explosion. Many of deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

The explosion happened just before noon on Saturday at a small restaurant in Wuhu city’s Jinghu district, the city government said.

The fire was put out in about half an hour.

The incident is being investigated, local officials said on social media. Both he and his wife got injured.

According to the provincial fire department, more than 30 firefighters participated in the rescue work.

The report said initial findings indicated that the blast was caused by a gas cylinder and further investigations were ongoing.

The government has not specified the number of people in the restaurant at the time, as an investigation is still underway to determine exactly what happened.