NEW DELHI: A powerful explosion caused by a cooking gas cylinder rocked a crowded restaurant in central India Saturday, killing at least 20 people, police said.

Scores of people were injured when the roof of the building caved in with the force of the explosion in Petlawad town in Madhya Pradesh state.

Twenty bodies were pulled out of the debris as rescue workers searched for survivors, said an officer in the Petlawad police control room, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

The restaurant located near the town's bus station was crowded with people having breakfast when the blast occurred.

Residents were evacuated from several adjoining buildings that were damaged in the blast, police said.

Petlawad is about 310 kilometers (190 miles) west of the state capital, Bhopal.