TORONTO -- An explosion caused by "improvised explosive device" ripped through a restaurant in a mall in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, wounding 15 people, Canadian police said.

Peel Region police said "two suspects attended the scene," detonated the devices and fled.

Peel Region paramedic Joe Korstanje said three people suffered critical injuries and were taken to the hospital while the remaining 12 victims suffered what he described as minor and superficial injuries

The explosion happened just after 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, and the plaza where the restaurant is located was still sealed off on Friday.

Andre Larrivee, who lives in a nearby condo, said he was watching television and heard a loud explosion.

"It was really loud," he said, comparing the noise to an electric generator that had exploded at a nearby construction site recently.

Police asked for the public's help. Peel region police, in a tweet, described the first suspect as in his mid-20s, 5-foot-10 to 6-feet with a stocky build, wearing dark blue jeans, a dark zip-up hoodie and a baseball cap with a light grey peak.

The second suspect is described as a little shorter with a thin build, wearing faded blue jeans, a dark zip-up hoodie pulled over his head, grey t-shirt and dark colored skate shoes. (AP)