The cause of the explosion is not yet known. It is suspected to be a gas explosion, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Leonard Wilhelmus,
Sara Vainio
An explosion has occurred in the center of Paris in the fifth arrondissement, as a result of which one building caught fire and its facade collapsed.
According to the Paris police, at least 24 people have been injured, four of whom are in a critical condition, tells local news channel BMF TV.
Rescue workers are still searching for people in the ruins of the building. According to BMF TV, at least two people are missing.
There are several police officers and more than 200 firefighters. Citizens are advised to avoid the area.
The fire has also spread to the surrounding buildings, but according to the police, the fire is under control.
– All means are in use, the French Prime Minister is following the events on the spot Elisabeth Borne said.
Possibly a gas explosion
Deputy mayor of the city district Edouard Civel said on Twitter that it was a gas explosion. In addition, locals told BMF TV that they smelled gas in the air before the explosion.
The police have not yet commented on the cause of the explosion. According to the Paris prosecutor, a criminal investigation has been launched into the explosion. The hearing of witnesses is ongoing, but the prosecutor did not say more about the cause of the explosion.
The explosion happened on Rue Saint-Jaques near Luxembourg Park and Sorbonne University. In the summer, the area is visited by many tourists and is also popular with international students.
Parisian Umer Gurchani was working at the École normale university, which is only a hundred meters away, when the explosion happened.
– We have been ordered to empty the university, Gurchani tells .
– There is a mixture of panic and indifference in the air. There’s a music festival going on here. Some people continue to celebrate and next door others are evacuating buildings.
Gurchani was walking on the street next to the explosion site just moments before the explosion.
– I left my bicycle in front of the exploded building. I hope it’s not on fire.
In 2019, an explosion caused by a gas leak killed four people and injured 66 in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
The story is updated.
Sources: Reuters