Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured on Monday when a gas explosion tore through a busy restaurant in southern Moscow.

Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured on Monday when a gas explosion tore through a busy restaurant in southern Moscow, news report said.

The initial blast tore through the kitchen of the Italian restaurant and the resulting fire set off several other gas canisters that ended up leveling a part of the three-story building, a police official was quoted as saying.

News reports said the bodies of two female workers had been found in the rubble while 26 others suffered various injuries, including cuts from shattered glass and burns.

"According to initial information, the blast killed two people and injured 26, including a 16-year-old boy," a Moscow police spokesman told Interfax.