France: 16 injured as gas explosion destroys building in Paris

Paris [France], June 22 : At least 16 people were injured in a gas explosion that destroyed buildings in the Latin Quarter of central Paris on Wednesday (local time), according to officials and witnesses, reported The Straits Times.

Dramatic pictures show fires raging in the French capital this afternoon. BFM TV showed fire services trying to hose down a building, and Parisians posted images on Twitter of a huge plume of smoke that was visible across much of the city, reported The Straits Times.

More than 200 firefighters were involved in the emergency response. TV images showed firefighters manning hoses and aiming jets of water at the blaze while a plume of thick black smoke billowed into the sky.

The blast, believed to have been caused by a gas leak, happened in the city's fifth arrondissement near the historic Val de Grace military hospital.

The mayor of the arrondissement said that a gas explosion has occurred in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, resulting in a fire affecting some buildings.

The blast occurred in the Rue Saint-Jacques in the 5th arrondissement of central Paris. The road leads from the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral to the Sorbonne University and the Val de Grace military hospital and is a few blocks from the popular Jardin du Luxembourg.

The area is usually packed with tourists and foreign students in the early summer, reported Channel News Asia.

The local deputy mayor, Edouard Civel, referred to a gas explosion in a Twitter post and witnesses told BFM TV there had been a strong smell of gas moments before the blast, reported Channel News Asia.

French prosecutors, meanwhile, said the cause of the blast had not been determined, reported France24.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked on Twitter for people to stay away from the area to not hinder the massive deployment of firefighters and police.

Of the 16 people injured, seven were fighting for their lives, police said.

A total of 230 firefighters were at the site, and nine doctors, it said.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters there were 16 people injured, including seven in "emergency condition." The authorities did not specify whether the injured were in life-threatening condition.

The fire was contained but not extinguished, Nunez said.

Paris police spokeswoman Loubna Atta said it was too early to determine the source of the fire.

Neither could she confirm reports it was a caused by a gas explosion.