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World / Europe

Dozens hurt in Spanish cafe gas blast

Published: 02 Oct 2016 - 03:43 pm | Last Updated: 01 Nov 2021 - 10:23 am
A view of the scene after a gas cylinder exploded in a cafe in Velez-Malaga, Spain October 1, 2016 in this still image taken from video. Wikono via Reuters

A view of the scene after a gas cylinder exploded in a cafe in Velez-Malaga, Spain October 1, 2016 in this still image taken from video. Wikono via Reuters

AFP

Madrid: Some 90 people were injured, five of them seriously, in a gas explosion at a cafe in the southern Spanish town of Velez, rescue services said Sunday.

Saturday evening's blast sparked panic, coming as hordes of people celebrated a local festival, the Feria de San Miguel, in their small town of some 30,000 people just east of Malaga.

Most of the injured suffered cuts from flying debris or bruising from falls as they fled in confusion. 

Rescue services, which received dozens of calls from people fearing a terrorist attack, said five people were in a serious condition after the blast in the bistro's kitchen.

Local daily Sur said an employee at the eatery had raised the alarm just moments before the blast but there was insufficient time to evacuate the venue, which local media showed as strewn with glass and other debris.