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‘Strong Explosion’ Tears Through Paris Bakery, Injuring Several People ‘Strong Explosion’ Tears Through Paris Bakery, Injuring at Least 36
(about 1 hour later)
PARIS — An large explosion tore through a bakery in central Paris on Saturday morning, leaving smoke and flames and scattered debris in its wake and injuring several people, the authorities said. PARIS — A powerful explosion tore through a bakery in central Paris on Saturday morning, leaving smoke, flames and scattered debris and injuring at least 36 people, five critically, the authorities said.
The authorities said the blast was believed to have been tied to a gas leak. The police and city authorities said the blast, in a bakery on Rue de Trévise, was believed to have been tied to a gas leak. About 200 firefighters battled the blaze, and photos on social media showed firefighters helping people down a ladder after the explosion.
The Paris police prefecture said on Twitter that a fire initially started in a shop on Rue de Trévise that was then hit by a “strong explosion.” About 200 firefighters battled the blaze, and photos on social media showed firefighters helping people down a ladder after the blast. Eric Moulin, a Paris Fire Department spokesman, told reporters that 12 people, including three firefighters, had been seriously injured by the explosion. At least another 24 suffered minor injuries, he added.
About 100 police officers were sent to the scene. Rémy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said that the blast had been “manifestly accidental.” He told reporters at the site, “First there was a gas leak, then the arrival of the firefighters, followed by an explosion that caused the fire.”
The number of injured was not yet immediately clear, but Christophe Castaner, the interior minister, told reporters on the site later on Saturday that the situation was “under control” but that the human toll could be “serious.” The explosion came as Paris and other cities around France were bracing on Saturday for a ninth week of protests by the “Yellow Vests” movement, which had been marked by episodes of violence and vandalism of high-end stores. But there was no indication that the explosion on Saturday had anything to do with the protests.
The explosion came as Paris and other cities around France were bracing on Saturday for a ninth week of protests by the “Yellow Vests” movement, which had been marked by episodes of violence and vandalism of high-end stores. But there was no immediate indication that the explosion on Saturday had anything to do with the protests. The Yellow Vests are protesting the social and economic policies of President Emmanuel Macron, whom they consider to be out of touch with their everyday needs. But the demonstrations have also come to express a wider discontent with the political and media elites.
The Yellow Vests are protesting against the social and economic policies of President Emmanuel Macron, whom they perceive to be out of touch with their everyday needs. But the demonstrations have also morphed into wider discontent with the political and media elites. On Saturday, demonstrations were expected in Paris and in Bourges, a much smaller town in central France that some protest organizers had chosen because it was closer to the regions where many of the Yellow Vests live.
Pictures on social media after the powerful explosion showed a blackened store front at the corner of Rue Trévise and Rue Sainte Sécile, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, with windows blown out, debris strewn around the street and fires still burning. After the large explosion in Paris, pictures on social media showed a blackened store front at the corner of Rue Trévise and Rue Sainte-Cécile, in the 9th Arrondissement of Paris, with windows blown out, debris strewn around the street and fires still burning. Other images showed damaged buildings and broken windows stretching for several blocks.
Other images showed damaged buildings and broken windows stretching for several blocks. Christophe Castaner, the interior minister, said later on Saturday that the situation was “under control” but that he was still “under shock” after seeing the site of the explosion. About 100 police officers were sent to the scene.
The explosion occurred on a residential street in an area of Paris that is also well known to tourists, with many hotels and attractions nearby, including the Grévin wax museum and the Folies Bergère music hall.The explosion occurred on a residential street in an area of Paris that is also well known to tourists, with many hotels and attractions nearby, including the Grévin wax museum and the Folies Bergère music hall.
One person wrote on Twitter: “Woke up to the apartment building shaking as if I had never left California … not an earthquake, but an explosion on Rue de Trévise not even a mile from me.” One person wrote on Twitter: “Woke up to the apartment building shaking as if I had never left California … not an earthquake, but an explosion on Rue de Trévise not even a mile from me.” Another person wrote of hearing screams.
Another person wrote of hearing screams.
Sylvain Maillard, a lawmaker who represents the area, told the BFM TV news channel that the blast had been “accidental” and that there were “probably wounded.”
Residents told French television that firefighters had been responding to reports of a gas leak in the neighborhood and were ordering residents to turn off their gas supply and stay inside when the explosion occurred.Residents told French television that firefighters had been responding to reports of a gas leak in the neighborhood and were ordering residents to turn off their gas supply and stay inside when the explosion occurred.
Many apartment buildings in Paris use gas for heating and other purposes, but deadly explosions because of leaks are rare. In 2016, an explosion caused by a gas leak in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris tore off the roof of an apartment building and wounded 17 people. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, said on Twitter that all those who had been affected by the explosion, who were in need of shelter or who were looking for information about the blast could seek help at the 9th Arrondissement Town Hall.
Many apartment buildings in Paris use gas for heating and other purposes, but deadly explosions because of leaks are rare. In 2016, an explosion caused by a gas leak in the 6th Arrondissement tore off the roof of an apartment building and wounded 17 people.