A pleasure boat with at least 10 passengers on board has hit a bridge pillar on the River Seine in central Paris, French police say.
A French pleasure boat with 12 people on board has hit a bridge pillar on the River Seine in central Paris.
A number of people jumped in the water and were later rescued. Two people - including a child - are in a critical condition, police say.
Two passengers, a man and his six-year-old son, are critically ill after being rescued by divers. Ten others who had jumped into the water were pulled out.
The cause of the accident near Notre Dame is being investigated by police.
The cause of the accident near Notre Dame is being investigated by police.
The boat sank after hitting the pillar. This type of incident is extremely rare in Paris, correspondents say.
There are suggestions that the boat collided with a larger tourist vessel before hitting the bridge and sinking.
The accident happened just before 2200 local time (2000 GMT).
The accident happened just before 2200 local time (2000 GMT).
Unconfirmed reports say the boat collided with a larger tourist vessel - one of the so-called "Bateaux Mouche" - before hitting the bridge.
Hugh Schofield in Paris says the Seine is always busy with pleasure boats on summer Saturdays but serious accidents are extremely rare.
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