Several injured in Sulaimani cafe gas explosion

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A gas leak that caused an explosion at a cafeteria in Sulaimani city on Sunday left at least five people injured, the spokesperson of the city's civil defense said.

The explosion resulted in five injuries, including three civil defense employees and two cafeteria employees, according to spokesperson Rekan Jamal, and caused minor damage to the venue.

"We were informed at 10:15 am that a gas leak had occurred in one of Sulaimani's cafeterias," said Jameel, adding that the explosion was preventable and employees could have prevented the incident by pressing the emergency lock but cited "confusion" as to why they could not act accordingly.

The incident occurred in Kastana cafe, on Sulaimani's Salim Street.

No casualties were reported as a result of the incident.

At least 14 people were injured, some severely, after a two-story cafeteria was destroyed due to a raging fire in Sulaimani in May.

Fires are a perennial concern in the Kurdistan Region where safety precautions are often lacking.

In September, two people died in an Erbil hotel after a gas tank exploded, three months after a shopping center went up in flames in the Kurdish capital.