Gas explosion in Spain injures 77

A local official says the explosion occurred during a festival in Spanish town of Velez-Malaga on the southern coast.

Damage at a café in Velez-Malaga, Spain after a gas cylinder exploded on October 1, 2016
TRT World and Agencies

Damage at a café in Velez-Malaga, Spain after a gas cylinder exploded on October 1, 2016

At least 77 people have been injured after a gas cylinder exploded in a café in the Spanish town of Velez-Malaga on the southern coast, a spokesman for the Andalucia region's emergency unit said.

The spokesman said the explosion occurred at about 1700 GMT during a festival in the town, which is 40 km east of the popular tourist destination of Malaga.

Video footage posted on social media showed people fleeing a fire inside a small restaurant called "La Bohemia" close to the centre of Velez-Malaga, with the street outside covered in debris.

None of those seriously injured were at risk of death, a spokesman for the local hospital said. The majority of injuries were cuts and bruises.

A local El Pais newspaper said a cook at the restaurant was able to alert customers to a fire in the kitchen, which gave most enough time to escape serious injury.

Route 6