At least 16 people have been injured, seven of whom are in a critical condition, after a gas explosion sparked a blaze in buildings in the Latin quarter of Paris.
The gas explosion happened in the fifth arrondissement at about 5pm on Wednesday and resulted in several buildings catching fire, local officials said.
Laurent Nunez, the Paris police chief, said the explosion happened at 277 rue Saint-Jacques inside a building that includes the Paris American Academy, a bilingual school of fashion and design.
Police told people to avoid the Val-de-Grâce area, near the Pantheon and Luxembourg Gardens, after the facade of a building collapsed and the fire appeared to have spread to neighbouring buildings.
Local people described one powerful explosion and a smaller one. One man told France Info public radio: “It was shocking. It’s a disaster.”
Some reported a huge plume of smoke rising above the neighbourhood.
Credit: theguardian.com
