A possible gas cylinder blast has killed at least eight people, most of them students, in a restaurant in the Indian city of Mumbai, police say.

The blast occurred in the Kurla West area of India's financial and entertainment capital, causing a fire that engulfed the building.

Seven of those killed were students of the nearby Don Bosco Institute of Technology, local reports said.

Police are investigating amid mixed reports over what caused the blaze.

The Associated Press reported that there had been a cooking gas cylinder explosion, but local reports said fire officials were looking at faulty wiring as a potential cause.

The deadly blaze broke out at lunchtime with the restaurant packed with customers.