DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A gas cylinder explosion in the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed two people and injured 120 others Monday, police said.
Abu Dhabi police initially acknowledged the mid-day blast Monday, but offered no casualty figures. Hours later, they gave the figures, offering only a few photos of broken glass in the street.
State-owned and state-linked media in Abu Dhabi initially downplayed the blast as only damaging the facades of nearby shops in the capital’s Khalidiya neighborhood. Abu Dhabi police also had warned the public against sharing any footage of the blast’s aftermath in the country with strict laws on speech.
The National, an English-language, state-linked newspaper in Abu Dhabi, described the explosion as striking an unnamed restaurant after 1 p.m. Monday near the Shining Towers complex, a local landmark.
