Fourteen people died and 47 others were injured in an explosion at a hotpot restaurant in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, state-run news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.

The blast, which was caused by a gas leak, occurred shortly before 8:00 p.m. Friday at the Xiyangyang (Happy Lamb) restaurant in the town of Shouyang.

The powerful explosion affected the two-story restaurant and other nearby buildings within a 20-meter (65-foot) radius.

"The entire dining room was engulfed in black smoke and I had to use my jacket to cover my mouth before I could jump out the window," a survivor, who was treated for burns, said.

Hotpot eateries, in which diners cook different types of food themselves on tabletop gas stoves, are very popular in China. EFE