Natural gas explosion killed two and injured 10 in a barbershop in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality at 3:40 a.m. on Friday.

The explosion occurred in a barbershop on the ground floor of a residential building in Huixing street in Chongqing, said the street warden.

The shopkeeper of a neighbouring restaurant noticed a strong smell of gas from the barbershop early Friday and knocked on the door. People woke up, and the explosion happened when one turned on the light, the person in charge said.

One was killed at the site and another died on the way to hospital. The 10 injured have been sent to the district hospital.

The barbershop was blown apart and a police office nearby was damaged. Many windows on the second floor of the building were broken. Broken glass and window frames were found on the street 50 meters away.

The 83 families in the building have been evacuated by the police.

The police has confirmed that the explosion was caused by natural gas leaking but was not a man-made explosion, according to the person in charge.

The case is still under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 14, 2008)