Two dead and 18 injured in gas explosion at a restaurant in Mexico 

Two people were killed, and 18 others were injured from a gas explosion at a restaurant in the Mexican tourist destination of Playa del Carmen, local authorities reported.

The explosion was caused by a gas tank that was in the kitchen of the Kool Beach restaurant in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, reported State Police Chief Lucio Hernandez.

The two individuals who died from the explosion were the restaurant’s staff members, according to Quintana Roo’s Attorney General. Similarly, 15 of those injured were employees.

Three of the injured people were customers. No information was shared about their nationalities. Eight people were taken to the hospital and have already been discharged.

Images from the scene show the aftermath of the explosion.

Los tres niveles de gobierno, cuerpos de seguridad y emergencias atienden la explosión de un tanque de gas, en el restaurant Kool Beach, de #PlayaDelCarmen, se evalua causas, daños y lesionados, hasta el momento se han recibido 4 heridos en hospital de SESA y 4 en el IMSS. pic.twitter.com/WNRX5Cds9n

— Coordinación Estatal de Protección Civil QRoo (@ProtCivil_QRoo) March 14, 2022

In 2018, a gas leak caused the death of an American family in the resort town of Tulum, close to Playa del Carmen. Officials later revealed that the water heater at the apartment the family rented out was leaking and caused the explosion.

Similarly, in 2010, five Canadian tourists and two Mexican were killed after a gas line exploded at a hotel in Playa del Carmen.