Three die in Paris explosion
THREE people, including two firemen, were killed in Paris after a gas explosion ripped through a bakery, injuring nearly 50.
The blast destroyed the store in the city yesterday, which left eight people in intensive care.
Firefighters arrived on Rue de Trevise in the city’s 9th arrondissement just before the 9am explosion after neighbours reported smelling gas.
The force of the blast shattered nearby storefronts and rocked buildings hundreds of yards away. The third victim was a Spanish citizen.
The street was left covered in dust, with debris and rubble strewn 30 yards away from the Hubert bakery – a popular breakfast spot.
Those injured were removed from the building with ladders and stretchers, with three helicopters landing on a nearby building to evacuate victims.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said one fireman had been buried for several hours and that 10 people had serious injuries, while at least another 37 people had less serious injuries.
One resident, David Bangura, 38, said: “There was broken glass everywhere, storefronts were blown out and windows were shattered up to the third and fourth floors.”
He said that as he approached the scene, a woman was crying for help from the first floor of a building: “Help us, help us, we have a child.”
Paris prosecutor Remi Heitz was quick to rule out terrorism, saying the explosion was “an accident”.
Meanwhile, the French capital saw another day of rioting yesterday as police fired water cannon and tear gas to repel “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) demonstrators from around the Arc de Triomphe monument.
It is the ninth straight weekend of protests against French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic reforms. More than 80,000 police were on duty for the protests nationwide, including 5,000 in Paris.
Central Paris was on lockdown against another feared eruption of violence by radical elements in the yellow vest movement, with bridges across the Seine river closed and official buildings, including parliament and the president’s Elysee Palace, protected by police barriers.