The explosion occured at a restaurant in Wuhu, Anhui province on Oct 10, 2015. [Photo/IC]

At least 17 people were killed when liquefied gas exploded on Friday at a restaurant in Wuhu, East China's Anhui province, according to the official Weibo account of chinanews.com.

The blast occurred at 11:57 am and caused a fire at a private restaurant in Jinghu District of Wuhu City, the city government said.

An initial investigation showed that the blast was caused by a gas cylinder.

Rescue work is underway now. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.