On February 20, more than 70 people, including children and the elderly, were injured in a gas explosion that occurred in a market area in Honduras.

According to the Honduran daily La Prensa, owners of stalls and shopping areas at a market suffered second- and third-degree burns after a gas cylinder exploded in a food preparation area.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Tegucigalpa, Honduran Health Minister Yolani Batres said a total of 72 people were injured.

Gas explosion in Honduras (photo: Reuters)

Among the injured were eight children and 52 elderly people who were taken to a nearby university hospital for treatment. Thirty-nine people are currently being treated at the hospital.

So far, there have been no reports of fatalities in the gas explosion, however, local media are calling on people to donate blood to save the seriously injured.

Honduran authorities are investigating the cause of the accident./.

According to VOV