Doha: The death toll in a massive blast the ripped through a Doha restaurant rose to 12 from the initial nine, according to latest reports.
Gas canisters exploded in a Turkish restaurant in the Qatari capital on Thursday, the official news agency of the Gulf Arab state reported.
Thirty-two were wounded, the agency added.
The explosion happened at Istanbul restaurant next to a petrol station, the agency said, citing ambulance sources.
Qatar's Prime Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, confirmed there had been an explosion in remarks to state television.
"Some deaths occurred that were announced, and there will be a press conference through the Ministry of Interior to give more information about the incident," said Shaikh Abdullah, who is also interior minister.
Asked if security regulations would be tightened up after the incident, he replied that "safety precautions are all there and the precautions for civil defence are there".
Photographs purporting to show the aftermath of the incident posted on social media showed chunks of masonry and cars apparently crumpled by the explosion lying outside the restaurant in a northwestern district of the city.
Message of condolences
Meanwhile, President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent a cable of condolences to Qatari Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani following the deadly blast.
Shaikh Khalifa expressed his heartfelt condolences for the victims and their families, and wished the injured a quick recovery.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, sent similar cables to Shaikh Tamim.
