Explosion in central Paris, injuring at least 24 people

An explosion ripped through an apartment building in central Paris on Wednesday, partially collapsing the building and injuring at least 24 people, according to French authorities.

The explosion, which occurred around 5 p.m. on Rue Saint-Jacques, in the French capital’s fifth arrondissement, threw debris and glass into the street and started a fire that sent black smoke rising into the air.

Four of those injured in the blast are in critical condition, according to Paris police.

Paris police prefect Laurent Nuñez told reporters that more than 250 firefighters were on the scene and were able to prevent the flames from spreading to neighboring buildings, which were nevertheless “severely destabilized” and evacuated.

Mr Nuñez said rescuers were searching through the rubble for other potential victims late on Wednesday. The Paris prosecutor’s office said at least two people are missing.

The cause of the explosion, which shook the neighborhood with a loud bang, was not immediately clear. The prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation.

Some witnesses told French media that they had smelled a strong smell of gas shortly before the explosion.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told reporters on the scene that the blast appeared to have started in the building itself, which sits on the corner of a semicircular square, next to the ValdeGrâce church.

Ms Beccuau said investigators would try to determine whether the explosion was the result of individual negligence, failure to comply with building safety rules or some other cause. But the charges under consideration by the prosecutor’s office – accidental injuries – suggested that foul play was not a leading theory.

Gilles Le Gendre, a French legislator who represents the area and lives nearby, told the BFMTV news channel that there were several institutions in or near the building, including school administrative offices, a music and dance institute and an American fashion school.

Videos and photos posted on social media appeared to show that the top of the building had blown away and the street below was littered with rubble.