Village cafe gas blast occurred during local chief engineer's birthday party - source
SARATOV. Jan 26 (Interfax) - The explosion of a gas cylinder at the Rendezvous cafe in the village of Lysye Gory in Saratov region took place during a birthday party of the chief engineer from a local utility company, an informed source told Interfax on Saturday.
"The explosion occurred during a celebration of the birthday of the chief engineer from the Lysye Gory utility company. There were 35 guests and five staff at the cafe," the source said.
He did not say what happened to the birthday man.
The cafe fire was reported to emergency services at 4:56 p.m. Moscow time. It was an explosion of a gas cylinder indoors. The fire spread to over 55 square meters. There were 35 people inside the cafe at the time, including three children. No one was killed, the injured were taken to the Lysye Gory district hospital.
The Emergency Situations Ministry told Interfax that six people were in critical condition after the explosion. An informed source said that "six suffered heavy burns to over 25% of their body" and will require urgent assistance at burn treatment centers.