2 firefighters die as huge gas blast hits Paris bakery

THREE people – two of them firefighters – were killed yesterday in a huge blast at a bakery in Paris.

A further 47 people were injured in the explosion, which was caused by a suspected gas leak. Fire crews had just arrived at the scene when the blast happened.

Rescuers managed to pull the wounded from the site and evacuated nearby buildings as smoke billowed over Rue de Trevise in the 9th arrondissement.

Officials confirmed that two firefighters were killed in the blast, which happened at 9am local time. The third victim was a Spanish woman on holiday with her husband. The El Pais newspaper reported the couple had been staying in a hotel near the bakery.

Paris authorities said last night that ten of the injured were in a critical condition.

French interior minister Christophe Castaner said: ‘Unfortunately, the human toll 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.