A liquefied petroleum gas canister explosion tore through three restaurants in the eastern China city of Hangzhou on Friday, killing two people and injuring 55, state media reported. The explosion occurred Friday morning and images posted on Chinese media shortly afterward showed bloodied victims nursing their injuries as a fire raged through the two-storey structure housing one of the restaurants. A shop owner has been taken into custody, Xinhua state news agency reported. Forty-five people were receiving hospital treatment, including seven for severe injuries.

The number of injured was heightened because the blast shattered the windows of nearby vehicles, including a bus, the government of Hangzhou's Xihu district said in a statement. Reports said the fire - which burned an area totalling 200 square metres - was eventually contained after 12 fire trucks converged on the scene. Hangzhou attracts millions of tourists each year, drawn by the scenic beauty of its temples and lakefront location.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017