Car aflame after hitting police van on Paris's Champs-Elysees

Paris: A car crashed into a police van Monday on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris before bursting into flames, police said.

The driver is "on the ground... unconscious," a police source said, without indicating whether the incident was an accident or a deliberate act.

Paris police said a security operation is underway in the Champs-Elysees shopping district and they are urging people to avoid the area. A subway station in the area is closed.

The high-end neighbourhood is popular with tourists.