Several injured after explosion in central Paris

There has been a massive explosion in a building in central Paris. Several people were injured, some seriously. The fire department urged residents to avoid the location in the fifth arrondissement.

According to the police, at least 37 people were injured in a strong explosion in downtown Paris, several of whom are in critical condition. Two people are still missing and suspected under the rubble, said France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who visited the site of the explosion on Wednesday evening.

The explosion, which was initially determined to be caused by a gas leak, partially collapsed a multi-storey building in the fifth arrondissement and triggered a large fire that spread to several neighboring buildings. The damaged building is said to have housed a fashion design school and a music institute, among other things. Other houses whose windows were shattered by the explosion were also evacuated.

Large contingent of the fire brigade

The fire brigade called on the population to stay away from the scene of the fire near the Jardin du Luxembourg and to allow the rescue workers to intervene quickly. According to the police, several buildings were evacuated.

Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne rushed to the site of the explosion, which was cordoned off by soldiers. You have set up a crisis center, said Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Downtown Paris was packed with people on Wednesday night as June 21 hosts the ‘Fête de la musique’, a city-wide music festival featuring numerous concerts. According to the AFP news agency, the public prosecutor’s office started investigations into negligent bodily harm.