At least 82 people were killed after a large explosion caused the collapse of several buildings in central India on Saturday, the New York Times reports. It is unclear what caused the explosion.
A police official, A. R. Khan, told the Times
that the explosion, in the town of Petlawad, in the state of Madhya
Pradesh, occurred in a shop carrying explosives. Local news reports
cited a gas cylinder at a nearby restaurant—an account which Khan
disputed.
A medical
official, Dr. Urmila Choyal, said that at least 82 people had been
killed—mostly men having breakfast at the restaurant—and 150 people had
been injured. According to the Indian Express, the dead included at least eight restaurant employees.
The Express reported that explosives being stored in a house being rented adjacent to the restaurant had gone off, killing most of its inhabitants.
A local
police official, Seema Alawa, said it was too early to say what had
happened: “We are still rescuing the people from the debris.”
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