A major explosion occurred at a bakery on Rue de Trévise, in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, at around 9 am this Saturday morning, leaving two people dead and several injured. According to the police headquarters, the incident is believed to have been accidental and caused by a gas leak.
According to the Home Secretary, three people, including two firefighters fromParis, have died, and ten people are in a critical condition, including one firefighter. A further 37 victims are in a relatively serious condition.
The street is littered with glass, as several shop windows in the surrounding area were blown out by the explosion. At the entrance to Rue Bergère, a few dozen metres from the site of the explosion, around ten people, many of whom had head injuries, were being treated at around 9.45 am.
200 firefighters on the ground
Firefighters from Paris were already attending an incident on Rue de Trévise, caused by a gas leak, when the explosion occurred. They were therefore able to be quickly dispatched to the scene of the incident to bring the fire under control and evacuate the surrounding buildings.
"200 firefighters have been deployed, along with 100 police officers", said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who visited the scene. "The situation is now under control. The death toll is expected to be high. We are supporting the victims. All our healthcare services have been mobilised."
Several civil protection helicopters are also flying over the scene of the accident. In particular, they landed at around 10.30 am at Place de l’Opéra to transport the injured to hospitals.
At midday on Sunday, the Paris fire brigade found a woman under the rubble, bringing the death toll to four.
The images
