Two killed in Austrian pizzeria blast

An explosion ripped through a pizzeria in a town in the Austrian province of Styria early today, killing two children and injuring seven, authorities said.

The explosion touched off a fire and destroyed the multi-storey building in Wagna bei Leibnitz, a small town in the wine-growing region about 20 miles south of Graz, Austria Press Agency reported.

Several surrounding buildings were also damaged.

The two dead children were between the ages of four and five. The injured, including an 18-month old child, were taken to hospital.

Police combed the collapsed structure hours after the blast at 1.40am Irish time in hopes of determining the cause, which was not immediately clear.

Authorities told APA that gas may have set off the blast, though other motives were not being ruled out.