Explosion in Paris leaves 24 injured and two missing (+ video)

A powerful explosion at a building on the left bank of the Seine River in Paris on Wednesday injured 24 people and sent clouds of smoke over the city’s monuments and forced the evacuation of surrounding buildings, police said.

Officials are investigating whether there was a gas leak.

Emergency services are searching for two people missing and possibly inside after the facade of a building in the 5th arrondissement or the mayor’s office collapsed. The explosion occurred near the historic Val de Grace Military Hospital.

Police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters that seven of the injured were in “emergency conditions”. He did not clarify whether their lives were in danger.

The flames were contained but not extinguished, Nunez said. About 270 firefighters are working to douse the fire and 70 emergency vehicles have reached the spot.

A police official told The Associated Press that 24 people were injured, four of them critically. He said that the main cause of injuries in the blast incident was that the victims fell down.

Officials from the 5th Precinct said a gas leak caused the explosion and flames.

Mayor Florence Berthoud said the “explosion was very violent” and shards of glass kept falling from buildings.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said “an investigation has been launched to determine whether or not there was a violation of the rules or whether individual negligence was the cause of the explosion.”

collateral damage

Nunez said firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to two neighboring buildings that were “severely compromised” by the blast. According to witnesses and the Inspector General of Police, windows were broken all over the area due to this explosion.

The smoke was cleared from the building by Wednesday evening. The sirens of ambulances that traveled through the neighborhood were still blaring, but pedestrians moved through the cordoned-off Salle Saint-Jacques again.

A student, who only gave his name as Achil, said he was 100 meters away from the blast site.

“I was sitting by the window and we moved two meters from the window because of a small explosion and great fear,” he told the BFM television channel.

“We came down (from the building) and saw flames,” he said. “The police were very supportive and got us out quickly.”

🇫🇷 | BREAKING: A huge explosion has been reported in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, known as the Latin Quarter. pic.twitter.com/nQLPKftw3e

– Latest News (@UltimaHoraNo) June 21, 2023

Get information instantly on your cell phone. Join the Diario Primicia WhatsApp group through the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BNoMZwKUeWk9GJtyJhjYL6

We are also @DiarioPrimicia on Telegram, join here:https://t.me/Diaryscope