THREE KILLED IN PARIS GAS BLAST
Dozens hurt in explosion at bakery
Two firefighters and a woman were killed after an explosion at a bakery in Paris yesterday.
Emergency services were responding to reports of a gas leak when the huge blast occurred, injuring 47 people.
Firef ighters pulled victims from windows and evacuated residents as smoke billowed over Rue de Trevise in the 9th arrondissement of north-central Paris.
Spain’s foreign minister Josep Borrell said the woman killed was Spanish.
The El Pais newspaper reported that she was a tourist staying in a hotel near the bakery.
Authorit ies said 10 people were in a critical condition.
I nter ior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene: “Unfortunately, t he human tol l is particularly serious”.
He paid tribute to the courage of rescuers, who saved the life of one firefighter who was buried under the rubble for two-and-a-half hours.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, who was also at the scene, extended a “message of affection and solidarity” to the victims.
She said city authorities would provide the many residents and tourists who had been evacuated from neighbouring buildings and hotels with temporary accommodation.
Witnesses described the overwhelming sound of the blast and people trapped inside nearby buildings. Charred debris and broken glass covered the pavement around the apartment building housing the bakery.
Pedro Goncalves, who is an employee at the Hotel Mercure opposite the bakery, was one of those injured.
He said: “I heard one big explosion and then a lot of pressure came at me, a lot of black smoke and glass. I felt a lot of things fall on me.”
He said the hotel had been destroyed in the blast.
Authorities said around 200 f iref ighters and police were involved in the operation. A helicopter landed in the area to evacuate the wounded.
Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said the cause appeared to be an accidental gas leak.
He told reporters: “The judicial police have started investigating, the scientific police as well.
He added: “The origin of the explosion seems accidental.
“We are at the beginning of the investigation. Everything will be done to establish the exact origin of the explosion as soon as possible.”