Reports: Explosion at restaurant in eastern China kills two

BEIJING — A gas explosion Sunday at a restaurant in eastern China killed two people, state media reported, two months after a deadly restaurant blast prompted the government to order a safety crackdown.

The explosion at 7:15 a.m. at a grilled fish restaurant in the city of Gaomi was powerful enough to knock a passing car sideways on the street outside, according to a video on the website of the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.

The cause was under investigation, state TV reported on its website. The reports gave no details of who was killed or how. State TV said two people also were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered a national safety campaign in June after 31 people were killed in cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwestern city of Yinchuan.