Dubai: A gas cylinder explosion in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Monday killed two people and injured 120 others, police said.

The explosion struck a restaurant just after 1 p.m. in Abu Dhabi's Khalidiya neighborhood, just a few blocks from the Corniche Beach.

Six hours later in a tweet, Abu Dhabi police announced 64 people have received minor injuries, 56 have moderate injuries and two were killed.

The injured were transferred to the hospital. There was material damage to shops and facades of six buildings, the police said.

An investigation into the blast was on, they added. 

Abu Dhabi police has warned the public against sharing any footage of the blast.

Already, authorities have threatened criminal charges against those who broadcast images of attacks on the country following a series of drone attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The National, an English-language, state-linked newspaper in Abu Dhabi, said the explosion struck an unnamed restaurant after 1 p.m. Monday near the Shining Towers complex, a local landmark.

The UAE, a federation of seven desert sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, does face seasonal fires brought on by the intense heat that bakes this nation each summer. Temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.

In February a similar gas cylinder explosion struck Abu Dhabu at the height of concerns over the Houthi attacks.