RTSat, 12 Jan 2019 09:36 UTC
© Thomas SAMSON / AFPFirefighters evacuate an injured person after the explosion in central Paris
A powerful explosion occurred in the central district of Paris on Saturday morning, police confirmed.
Reports say several people were injured, while a suspected gas leak is believed to have caused the blast. The explosion took place on the Rue de Trevise, causing fire and chaos on the adjacent streets, local witnesses and journalists report.
Pictures and videos posted online show plumes of smoke and flames slowly consuming one of the buildings. Witnesses on the ground say many still need medical assistance.
Police have confirmed "a strong explosion" urging people to keep away from the area and make way for emergency vehicles.
© Thomas SAMSON / AFP
Preliminary reports from the site indicate several people were injured, although there are no official updates on the situation yet.
According to French media, the blast, possibly ignited by a gas leak, occurred inside a bakery situated in Paris' 9th district. The area, located on the right bank of the River Seine, is home to several places of interest, including the Paris Opera, Boulevard Haussmann, and the Theatre de Paris.
© BBC
Firefighters showed up at the scene shortly after the explosion. Once they arrived, they had to evacuate people who were unable to leave buildings affected by the blast.
© Thomas SAMSON / AFP
Comment: The media was pretty quick to label this as a gas leak. The question is whether the story will later change to say this was no accident. Some additional footage can be seen here:
A resident from across the street posted on Twitter:
Update: The Guardian 13/1/19: 3 dead, 46 injured
Two firefighters and a Spanish woman have died in a massive explosion caused by a "pocket of gas" in a six-storey building in Paris.
The woman died in hospital and at least 46 others were said to be injured, nine of them critically, including a third firefighter, in the blast in the 9th arrondissement of the capital on Saturday morning.
One of the firefighters was trapped under the rubble of the destroyed building for two-and-a-half hours before being rescued by colleagues.
© Carl Labrosse/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesAn overhead view shows debris and vehicle wreckage following the explosion.
Rémy Heitz, the Paris public prosecutor, said an investigation had been launched into the tragedy. The origin of the explosion was a "pocket of gas". He added that the tragedy appeared to be "accidental" but that police experts would verify the exact reason for the explosion.
The blast and subsequent fire destroyed a bakery on the ground floor and destroyed apartments above. It seriously damaged several neighbouring buildings and shattered windows for 100 metres around.
The explosion, which happened just before 9am, was heard a mile away. Dozens of firefighters, police and ambulances rushed to the scene and rapidly sealed off surrounding streets, many of them cloaked in a thick cloud of acrid smoke.
The bakery owner, Hubert Beatrix, watched shocked as dozens of firefighters struggled to put out the blaze and evacuate residents of nearby buildings.
"I have no idea what happened. There's no gas in my shop apart from a small supply for heating. My ovens are electric," Beatrix said. "The shop was closed, luckily for me and my customers. Someone called me to tell me about this, but I still don't know what happened."
The bakery was almost entirely destroyed, leaving a few columns holding up the rest of the six-storey building.
The nearby Place de l'Opera was cleared to allow three emergency helicopters to land in order to evacuate injured people.
Comment: The media was pretty quick to label this as a gas leak. The question is whether the story will later change to say this was no accident. Some additional footage can be seen here:
A resident from across the street posted on Twitter:
Update: The Guardian 13/1/19: 3 dead, 46 injured