A powerful gas explosion destroyed a historic building in the center of Paris (2 photos + 4 videos)

At least four people were seriously injured.





In the historic 5th arrondissement of Paris, which includes the famous among tourists Latin Quarter, there was a powerful explosion. According to preliminary The explosion was reportedly caused by a gas leak in one of the apartments.



According to French media, the explosion resulted in four people were seriously injured and are in critical condition. The exact number of victims is still unknown. One of the houses in the area destroyed to the ground, but the operational services have not yet begun to parse rubble as firefighters battle the blaze.

Authorities advise avoiding incident area, staff police evacuate people from nearby houses and drive away onlookers. A strong smell of gas is reported at the site of the collapse of the building.

UPD: according to the latest data, 16 people were injured, seven of them of them are in critical condition, nine are in serious condition.