Rescuers work at an explosion site in Wuhu, east China’s Anhui Province, October 10, 2015.
Advertisement
“The people inside the restaurant retreated in face of the flames and had nowhere to escape”, Jinghu district fire brigade head Yang Tao said.
A leaking liquefied gas container exploded on contact with a restaurant fire in eastern China, killing 17 people, authorities said.
Among the dead are 14 students aged 15 to 20 who came from nearby schools.
The report said investigators suspect the tragedy was caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder.
When the fire broke out he had tried to put it out with water and a fire extinguisher, but both he and his wife were injured in the subsequent explosion.
The owner of the snack bar Zhang Baoping a 38-year-old man from Anhui has been put under police investigation.
Advertisement
The incident is being investigated, local officials said on social media.
