Doha gas blast kills 12, injures dozens

At least 12 people were killed and a further 32 were injured in an apparent gas cylinder explosion in the Doha, Qatar.

Emergency officials confirmed that two children were among the dead while three people are in critical condition.

Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khalifi, Qatar's head of public security, also said that non-Qatari Arabs, Asians and one Qatari were among the dead and wounded.

The incident occurred at a Turkish restaurant in the Qatari capital. It caused extensive damage to the restaurant and to a neighbouring petrol station.  

Preliminary investigations suggested a gas tank exploded, setting off a fire and causing part of the building to collapse. The explosion blew away cars and shrapnel was scattered 50 metres to 100 metres.

Officials have since ruled out foul play and are treating the explosion as an accident. It is however, still unclear what ignited the tank.

Nineteen people were killed in a May 2012 blaze at a major Doha mall, including 13 children and four supervisors at a nursery located within the shopping centre.

Most of the two million people living in Qatar are foreigners, and there are an estimated 250,000 Qatari nationals.