Ravenshoe cafe crash: Eight critically injured

Eight people are in critical condition after a truck hit a cafe in Queensland, Australia, on Tuesday, engulfing the building in fire, say health officials.

The crash caused a gas bottle to explode at the Serves You Right Cafe in Ravenshoe, south of Cairns.

The eight critical patients, with up to 80% burns, were among 20 people hurt in the explosion and fire in the small farming town.

Queensland authorities have described it as the state's biggest burns event.

Six people have already been transferred to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said at a news briefing.

Two more of the critically injured will be transferred to the Brisbane hospital on Thursday.

CCTV footage showed the explosion flinging customers out of the cafe and across the pavement.

Some people staggered from the building, their clothing on fire, as others rushed to put out the flames.

The explosion blew out both sides of the building and the fire took an hour to bring under control.

It is not known what caused the vehicle to veer off the road into the cafe although there are some reports the driver may have had a heart attack.

'Horrific things'Ravenshoe Community Centre chairperson Priscilla Clare said it was amazing anyone survived the explosion.

Ms Clare said a group of about eight local senior citizens were inside the cafe at the time, having just been briefed by local firemen about fire safety.

"People have witnessed horrific things," Ms Clare told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"I was talking to people and I did not recognise them" because of their burnt hair and faces, she said.

The decision to transfer burns patients is always made with caution, said Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service's executive director of medical services Paul Cullen.

"Serious burns affect more than just the outside of the body; they cause major issues with other body systems, and so moving critically ill people is always, of course, a challenge," he told ABC.

Counsellors are on hand to support victims, witnesses and the broader community.