Highlights
- At least 36 people were hurt, after a huge explosion has rocked Paris causing destruction for blocks
- Police confirmed a blast had taken place on Saturday morning on Rue de Treviso, the 9th district of the French capital
- Cause of the blast is not yet known
- There are initial reports that it was due to a gas leak in a bakery
At least 36 people were injured, five critically, when a huge explosion rocked Paris on Saturday, French authorities have said.
The powerful blast explosion destroyed a bakery in central Paris, blowing out dozens of nearby windows after a suspected gas leak, police said.
The fire service said five people were critically injured. Social media posts showed shocking images of the blast that ripped through a block in the French capital.
Paris police said several people had been injured in the blast and fire at a bakery believed caused by a gas leak.
Emergency services scrambled to the scene in the 9th arrondissement on Saturday following reports of the blast.
Police confirmed a blast had taken place on Saturday morning on Rue de Treviso, the 9th district of the French capital
The cause of the blast is not yet known, though there are initial reports that it was due to a gas leak in a bakery.
Parisians have been urged to avoid the area while crews respond to the fire, which broke out shortly before 9am local time.
Pictures shared on social media showed the large extent of the blast, which appears to have destroyed the first floor of a building.
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