Beirut, (AFP) – Seven people were injured when an explosion apparently caused by a bomb shook a restaurant in the south Lebanese coastal town of Tyre, according to a Lebanese security source.

The blast occurred at midnight Sunday in the elevator of the Nocean restaurant, injuring seven people who were hospitalised, the source said.

A policeman said a bomb had apparently been placed in the lift. It exploded on the fourth floor of the building where the restaurant is situated.

The Nocean is known for its dance parties in this Shiite-majority region.

A security perimeter was set up around the scene of the blast. Chunks of stone and shards of glass were strewn around up to 1,000 metres (yards) from the blast.

Several restaurants in the region have been damaged by bombs in recent months, the last in December. Two explosions have also targeted shops selling alcohol.

Tyre is one of the few towns in south Lebanon where alcohol is served in restaurants, which brings in tourists including members of the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), but the recent blasts have caused several restaurants to ban alcohol.