At least 34 people were injured, including two critically, after a massive gas explosion flattened several buildings, in Merseyside area of north-west England last night. A Chinese restaurant, which had about 15 people inside, and a dance studio for children, which was unoccupied at the time of explosion, were among the buildings destroyed in the blast at Bebbington town. Merseyside fire and rescue service said the explosion was a major incident. "It's what we would describe as a total collapse, or the explosion has blown the walls out, which has caused the roof to collapse. It's a very significant debris field and (there is) lots of structural damage to the surrounding buildings," said Dan Stephens, chief officer at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. There was a huge police and ambulance response with at least 10 ambulances seen at the scene.