LONDON: At least 14 people were injured in a suspected gas explosion at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Central London where former president Asif Ali Zardari was staying on Friday night, reports said.

The blast took place shortly before midnight at the five-star Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill, in Portman Square, Marylebone.

According to a tweet by Geo’s reporter Murtaza Ali Shah, the former president was not inside the hotel at the time of the explosion.

The London Ambulance Service said five of the injured were taken to a hospital.

According to the London Fire Brigade, the explosion happened at about 23:40 GMT in the basement of the hotel, causing part of the building to collapse.