A gas cylinder exploded killing one and injuring eight in Thailand.

The LPG tank was reportedly leaking before blowing up inside a two-storey townhouse in Pathum Thani on Saturday.

The blast ripped through the property, which was being used as a salon, and sent shockwaves that rattled neighbouring homes.

Firefighters arrived at the row of townhouses, where the explosion had scattered metal fittings, appliances and debris onto the street.

The salon interior was engulfed in flames, which was extinguished within 30 minutes. The female owner, Phetkamon, 64, was found dead in the charred wreckage of the kitchen, where the blast was believed to have originated.

District officials have cordoned off the house for investigations.

Police Colonel Wiwat Atsawawiboon, superintendent of Mueang Pathum Thani Police Station, said eight people were injured, 33 houses were affected, and 10 vehicles were damaged.

He added: ‘We speculate that the house had a gas leak, with gas accumulating for a long time in the unventilated, stuffy kitchen.

‘A spark near the gas burner then triggered the explosion. We have not yet found the remains of the gas cylinder, which we believe exploded and scattered around the house.'

A neighbour named Somkhuan, 52, said the explosion caused his house ceiling to collapse and injured his son and daughter-in-law.

Police said investigations into the incident were ongoing.