Twenty people are in hospital – including three with critical injuries – after a freak explosion at a north Queensland cafe.
A utility ploughed into the Serves You Right Cafe at Ravenshoe, southwest of Cairns, about midday on Tuesday, causing a gas bottle to explode and a fire to break out.
Some residents said the explosion, which completely gutted the business, felt like an earthquake.
Two firefighters were inside the eatery when it went up in flames and were later flown to Cairns and Townsville hospitals with serious injuries.
Three people, including the driver of the out-of-control utility, were critically injured. Others suffered varying degrees of burns and were taken to various hospitals for treatment.
Police are investigating what caused the fiery and destructive explosion, which has devastated the small community of about 900. Initial reports suggest a four-wheel-drive utility had veered off a road and into the cafe in the town about midday.
It was believed this led to the ignition of a gas bottle outside the building, the spokesman said. There was no confirmed detail about the condition of the driver at the time.
One witness, supermarket worker Kate Lewis, told of an “absolutely horrific scene”.
“We just heard a massive sonic boom and went running out and saw the cafe on fire and lots of burnt people,” she said.
Patients were taken to four hospitals across the far north, from Cairns to Townsville, Atherton and Innisfail, an ambulance spokesman said.
Some were taken by helicopter, while the royal flying doctor service had also been called in to assist.
Bob Katter, whose electorate includes Ravenshoe, described the incident as tragic and praised emergency services for their response.
“We praise the emergency services for having got up there as quickly as they have,” Mr Katter said in a statement. “We stand ready to provide any backup that may be necessary from the federal parliament.
“We wait for more information as it becomes available and pray for all of those involved.”
The forensic crash unit and crime officers are investigating the cause of the crash.
