2023-06-22 08:58:45
At least six people were injured, with their vital prognosis, following an explosion followed by the fire of a building which collapsed on Wednesday followingnoon in the heart of Paris.
According to a still provisional report, 33 other people were injured more lightly and a resident was still wanted this morning in the rubble of this building in the 5th arrondissement, an opulent district of the capital which notably houses the Pantheon.
“Among the two people who were wanted, one turned out to have already been taken care of at the hospital” and “the search is continuing for the second”, said the prosecution Thursday morning.
Firefighters initially reported the collapse of two buildings. But according to police sources, only one building collapsed following being the prey of a fire whose origin remains unknown.
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“There was no warning preceding this explosion. We do not know its origin”, declared the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, during a press briefing on the spot.
The 270 firefighters dispatched “prevented the spread of the fire to two adjoining buildings which were seriously destabilized by the explosion” and “were evacuated”, specified the prefect of police, Laurent Nuñez, adding that the fire had was circumscribed at the end of the day.
>> The details of Raphaël Grand, correspondent for the RTS in Paris, in the 7:30 p.m.: Raphaël Grand comments on the explosion that hit the center of Paris / 7:30 p.m. / 1 min. / yesterday at 7:30 p.m.
Gas smell and big explosion
Several witnesses said they heard a “big explosion” around 4:50 p.m. in a large part of the borough.
“I thought it was a bombardment. It echoed in the apartment. I had 10 seconds of great concern, many people were at the windows”, testified a resident who wishes to remain anonymous.
The collapsed building, located on the long artery of rue Saint-Jacques, near a former military hospital, notably housed a private fashion school, the Paris American Academy.
Witnesses and residents said they smelled gas and heard a “big explosion”.
Crisis unit
The “first elements (…) lead us to confirm that this explosion left the building”, declared on the spot the prosecutor of the Republic of Paris. A judicial investigation for “involuntary injuries” has been opened.
According to the mayor of the 5th arrondissement, the noise of the “quite enormous” explosion spread “in part of the arrondissement”. Windows exploded more than 400 meters from the building.
A security perimeter has been installed, local residents being authorized to circulate. The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, whose services activated the crisis unit, also went to the scene.
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