Six people were killed in an explosion in the Czech Republic, emergency services said Sunday.
Another eight people were injured in an explosion at a restaurant in the northwestern city of Most.
The fire brigade said there was a possibility of an explosion when the heater overturned and the establishment caught fire.
What we know so far about the explosion
“A propane-butane cylinder exploded at the Kojot restaurant in Most,” the fire service said in a post on Platform X.
“According to preliminary information received from eyewitnesses, a heater overturned, causing the fire,” it said.
“Twelve fire brigade units are at the scene.”
Firefighters said they managed to rescue a patron trapped in the restaurant’s toilet.
The fire department said 30 people were evacuated from the restaurant and surrounding area and eight injured were taken to hospital.
Czech Radio reported that there were about 20 guests in the restaurant at the time of the explosion.
Police started investigation
Czech police said they had opened an investigation into a possible case of endangering public safety through negligence.
Public broadcaster CT24 quoted fire department spokesman Petr Pelikas as saying that the fire was brought under control just after 1 a.m. local time (0000 UTC).
Pictures in Czech media showed the restaurant destroyed in the fire.
“I would like to express my sincere condolences to all those affected by the tragedy and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured,” Interior Minister Vit Rakusson said in a post on Instagram. He said he had met municipal and regional officials to discuss the investigation.
Most is located about 70 kilometers (45 mi) northwest of the capital Prague, near the Czech Republic’s border with the East German state of Saxony.
This is a developing news story. Please refresh the page for updates.
sdi/ab (AFP, Reuters)
