Several people seriously injured in Paris by a gas explosion

Several buildings have caught fire this afternoon in the V district of Paris due to a strong explosion, apparently caused by the gas, which has caused at least 16 injuries, of which seven are in critical condition, according to media such as Le Figaro. .

The Police Prefecture has indicated on its Twitter account that they have launched an emergency intervention in Saint Jacques street, near the Val de Grâce hospital, and have asked the population to avoid the area and let the emergency services work.

According to Le Figaro, which quotes the Police Prefecture, the extinction and rescue operations “are still underway”. The explosion would have occurred a few minutes before five in the afternoon at number 277 Saint Jacques street, “inside a building that houses the American fashion academy [una escuela de diseño de dos plantas]but not only this”.

“The explosion has immediately triggered a fire,” they point out from the Prefecture, which indicates that two adjacent buildings have been evacuated and that investigation work continues “under the rubble.”

The French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has communicated the event on Twitter, and has asked the population to avoid the area.

The images published this afternoon on social networks by the French media and by witnesses who passed by the place give an idea of ​​the magnitude of the events:

Firefighters, military and police displaced to the area

The area where the explosion took place, in what is known as the Latin Quarter, in central Paris, is cordoned off while a large deployment of firefighters, soldiers and police try to stabilize the emergency. More than 200 firefighters with various vehicles have moved to the place.

The mayoress of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has also immediately gone to the scene, as well as Minister Darmanin.