Multiple people have been injured, up to four critically, following a massive explosion in the centre of Paris which caused several buildings to set on fire and resulted in an evacuation of the Left Bank.
Up to 30 people have been reported as injured and it is feared that two people remain trapped in the rubble following the blast which happened at a private school known as the Paris American Academy.
At the height of the blaze, which happened at around 5pm, more than 270 firefighters attempted to extinguish the fire, which reportedly was caused by a gas leak in the fifth arrondissement, The Mirror reports.
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One woman, who lives opposite the collapsed building, had her windows were open at the time and she said debris and shattered glass were in her house.
She told BFMTV: “I heard an explosion, a noise more powerful than any I have heard in my life.”
A student, named Achille, at the private school, also told the station he was in a building about 100 metres away when the explosion rocked the area.
He said: "I was sitting on the windowsill, and we moved two meters away from the window, carried by a small blast (from the explosion) and huge fear. We came down (from the building) and saw the flames. The police gave us great support and we evacuated quickly."
Florence Berthout, mayor of the arrondissement, said people were in an "absolute emergency" condition. Describing pieces of glass falling from buildings, she added: "The explosion was extremely violent."
Although there is speculation the fire is the result of a gas leak, Paris Police spokeswoman Loubna Atta said it was too early to determine the source of the fire and could not confirm reports.
Police chief Laurent Nunez added the firefighters managed to stop the fire form spreading to two nearby buildings which were also evacuated.
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