MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2023) At least 37 people have been injured, with four of them in critical condition, following an explosion in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, French Minister of Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday.
Darmanin said the explosion occurred in the building of the American academy fashion design school on Saint Jacques Street and confirmed that four people were in critical condition. He did not rule out that dead bodies would be found under the rubble overnight.
He added that the authorities had no information about what caused the explosion.
Earlier on Wednesday, French broadcaster BFMTV reported, citing the city's police prefecture, that 29 people have been injured, with four people being in critical condition, following the blast. According to prosecutors, the cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. Eyewitnesses said that there was a strong smell of gas.
The explosion occurred on the Alphonse Laveran square, not far from the American Academy fashion design school. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo arrived at the scene. According to police data, the facades of several houses collapsed, and several neighboring houses caught fire.
Rescue workers are looking for at least two more people who are still under the rubble, the broadcaster said. About 270 firefighters and 70 fire engines are reportedly being deployed at the scene.
The prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the unintentional infliction of harm, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told BFMTV, adding that the cause of the explosion remains unknown.
The authorities called on the citizens to avoid the streets surrounding the scene, the broadcaster reported.
