Shanghai: An explosion ripped through a restaurant in eastern China on Saturday, killing at least 17 people, the official Xinhua news agency reported, blaming the accident on a gas cylinder.

The blast caused a fire at the restaurant in Wuhu city in Anhui province, the report said, citing local authorities. It gave no other details.

In August, 160 people, including firefighters, were killed in two massive explosions at a chemical warehouse in the northwestern city of Tianjin.