10 dead as cooking gas blast flattens Egypt houses

Ten people were killed, five of them children, when two neighbouring buildings collapsed after a cooking gas cylinder exploded in a central Egypt town, a security official said on Friday.

Eight others were wounded in the Thursday evening accident in Malawi, in the central province of Minya, the official said.

Among those killed were five young children, including a 9-month-old baby, from the same family, the official said.

The gas cylinder exploded during the preparation of the traditional iftar meal, when Muslims break their fast at dusk during the holy month of Ramadan.

The buildings housed two brothers and their families. An adjacent building, owned by a third brother, was damaged, the official added.