2023-06-21 19:35:00
An explosion caused the collapse of a building located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris and left more than 35 injured, 4 of them in serious condition, according to the prefect of the Police of the French capital. The explosion, which would have been caused by a gas leak, also sparked a fire that gave off a large column of smoke and forced the evacuation of neighboring buildings.
The strong explosion took place around 5:00 p.m. (local time) this Wednesday at 200 rue Saint-Jacques, next to the Val-de-Grâce hospital and near the Luxembourg Gardens. There was a three story building from the Paris American Academy, a bilingual fashion and design school. During the afternoon, the number of wounded had risen to 33.
���� ALERT INFO – A violent gas explosion has just taken place in the center of #Paris. Several buildings are on fire. Firefighters evacuated the area. (BFMTV) pic.twitter.com/8spFPk3gUf
— Mediavenir (@Mediavenir)
June 21, 2023
Residents of what is also known as the Latin Quarter had to be evacuated, officials and witnesses said. The search for possible victims among the rubble continued two hours after the events, and the emergency services were looking for two people who were still missing late in the afternoonas reported by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, which opened an investigation for involuntary injuries and for violation of the obligation of prudence or security, according to the newspaper Le Monde.
Some 250 firefighters mobilized to the area and managed to contain the fire, while the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, was also present.
The explosion occurred this Wednesday afternoon in Paris.
After the explosion, the entire neighborhood was cordoned off to facilitate the mobilization of ambulances and fire trucks, as well as police and military personnel.
“I was in front of the Val-de-Grâce. I heard a huge noise, turned my head and saw a ball of fire 20 or 30 meters high. I fled,” a witness, identified as Quentin, told Le Parisien. “And the building collapsed with a huge noise. I smelled gas, but it took me several minutes to understand”the student said, adding: “The police arrived quickly and told us to evacuate the area,” he added.
The prefect of Paris, Laurent Núñez, said he was “very cautious about the causes” of the disaster and confirmed that “possible victims are being sought” among the rubble of the building with the collapsed façade.
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