Explosion kills two at Mexican resort where Brit businessman was shot dead

Two people have died and more than 20 were injured in an explosion at a beachfront restaurant in the Mexican resort where a British businessman was shot dead on Saturday.

Four foreigners are said to be among those hurt in the blast at Kool Beach in Playa del Carmen, south Cancun, which killed two workers, said the Mexican authorities.

The explosion was caused by a kitchen gas leak that led to the explosion.

Municipal president Lili Campos said that the two people killed were workers but couldn’t be removed due to the risk of the building collapsing.

There have been a total of 21 people who have been injured by the explosion who have been taken to public and private hospitals in the popular tourist resort.

A tweet from the regional Quintana Roo prosecutor's office stated: " The two people who have lost their lives in the explosion at the restaurant in Solidaridad have been identified.

"Both are males and were workers at the restaurant. 18 people were taken to hospital and eight have now been allowed to leave.

"Following on from earlier communications, the cause of the explosion was from a gas leak."

So far the identities of the injured, including the four foreigners, have not been released by the authorities.

Footage published by local media showed police removing bloodied survivors on stretchers after holidaymakers on the nearby beach ran for cover fearing a bomb had gone off.

A regional prosecution spokesman said: “We have launched an inquiry into the explosion caused by a gas leak in the kitchen of a restaurant in the beach area in the municipality of Solidaridad."

The incident occurred at around 1.30pm local time on Monday less than 48 hours after British businessman Chris Cleave was shot in an execution-style assassination close to his nearby home in front of his 14-year-old daughter.

Two men on a motorbike gunned him down from close range after drawing up beside his red Audi while he was in traffic.

The real estate agent, originally from Truro in Cornwall, had been threatened by a drug cartel in the run-up to his murder.

There has been a spate of violence in the tourist resort with Argentinian bar manager shot dead with two bullets to the head and two Canadians were killed in a shoot out in January.

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