Explosion in Paris Injures at Least 24, 4 Critical: Reports
The explosion occurred at Paris American Academy in the city's Latin Quarter, and American students may be among those injured
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At least 24 people were injured – including four critically – when an explosion rocked the fifth arrondissement in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, multiple news agencies report.
The explosion happened at the Paris American Academy, a design and fashion school, located at 277 rue Saint-Jacques in the Latin Quarter. American students are believed to be among the injured, according to France’s national network BFM TV.
"We heard a huge explosion around 4:50 p.m.,” Philippe Delorme, general secretary of Catholic education, told the network. “And there, we evacuated and found very quickly that the American Academy building was on fire and collapsed."
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Witnesses told the BBC that they had smelled gas before the explosion, which occurred next to the Val de Grâce church.
Christopher Gaglione was inside his bar, which is next to the church, at the time.
"We heard a huge explosion, like a gas leak,” he told BFM TV. “The building is completely destroyed, in flames.”
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The fire was contained shortly after, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters, per the BBC. The Paris American Academy was founded in 1965 and offers courses in fashion design, interior design, fine arts and creative writing, Nunez said.
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Officials from the fifth arrondissement later confirmed that the source of the explosion was natural gas, according to ABC News.
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Authorities are warning residents and others to avoid the area.
This is a developing story.
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