An explosion tore through an apartment building in central Paris on Wednesday, partially collapsing the structure and injuring at least 24 people, according to French authorities.
The explosion happened around 5pm on Rue Saint-Jacques, in the 5th arrondissement of the French capital, throwing rubble and glass onto the street and starting a fire that sent black smoke into the sky.
According to Paris police, four people injured in the explosion are in critical condition.
Laurent Nuñez, Paris police chief, told reporters that more than 250 firefighters were deployed to the scene and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings, which were nonetheless “severely destabilized. important” and had to be evacuated.
Mr Nuñez said rescuers were searching for other potential victims in the rubble late Wednesday. The Paris prosecutor’s office said at least two people were missing.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which shook the neighborhood with a loud bang. The prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation.
Several witnesses told French media that they smelled a strong smell of gas shortly before the explosion.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, told reporters at the scene that the explosion appeared to have started in the building itself, which is located at the corner of the semicircular square, next to the ValdeGrâce cathedral.
Ms. Beccuau said that investigators will try to determine whether the explosion was caused by personal negligence, failure to comply with the building’s security rules or other causes. But the charges being reviewed by the prosecutor’s office – unintentional injury – suggest foul play is not the leading hypothesis.
Gilles Le Gendre, a French lawmaker who represents the area and lives nearby, told news channel BFMTV that there are several institutions in or near the building – including the school administration office, the music academy. music and dance and an American fashion school.
Videos and photos on social media showed the top of the building blown away and the street below littered with debris.
