Over 30 injured in gas explosion in central Paris 

An explosion in an apartment building in central Paris on Wednesday afternoon left at least 37 people injured, French authorities said. 

The explosion took place at around 5 p.m. on Rue Saint-Jacques in the Fifth Arrondissement, causing the building to partially collapse and sending rubble and glass onto the street below. 

More than 300 firefighters were deployed to the scene as a fire broke out, according to French interior minister Gerald Darmanin. Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby buildings, which were evacuated as a precaution. 

“Many buildings need to be inspected to see if they are weakened or not,” Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, told reporters. “A lot of buildings have had their windows blown out.” 

Around 37 individuals were injured by the blast. At least four of the victims were critically injured and were transported to nearby hospitals. 

Rescue workers are looking through the rubble of the building for more possible victims. At least two individuals who resided in the building are still missing, however, it is unclear if they were in the structure at the time of the blast. 

“It is, therefore, possible that we will find bodies overnight, or survivors,” Mr. Darmanin said, adding that sniffer dogs were sent to the scene to determine if anyone was buried under the rubble. 

The cause of the blast is not immediately clear. The prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation into the incident. However, witnesses told local media that they had detected a strong smell of gas minutes before the explosion took place, leading authorities to believe that a gas leak could have caused the blast. 

Videos shared on social media show the building consumed in flames and clouds of smoke surrounding the city block as rescuers try to evacuate residents nearby. 

Huge explosion rocks Paris! #Paris pic.twitter.com/E43CyLjpMt

— Paul Golding (@GoldingBF) June 21, 2023