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| Paris explosion: At least five people injured after huge blast 'caused by gas cooker' in French capital | Paris explosion: At least five people injured after huge blast 'caused by gas cooker' in French capital |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A violent explosion has rocked the centre of Paris, destroying part of a building and sending smoke rising over the French capital. | A violent explosion has rocked the centre of Paris, destroying part of a building and sending smoke rising over the French capital. |
| Officials said at least five people were injured in the blast, which blew out windows in an 100m radius and sent debris raining into surrounding streets. | Officials said at least five people were injured in the blast, which blew out windows in an 100m radius and sent debris raining into surrounding streets. |
| Residents living nearby in the 6th arrondissement were evacuated after the accident, which may have been caused by a gas cooker according to police sources. | |
| Kem Phetsomphou said he felt the explosion inside the Tour Montparnasse, formerly France’s tallest skyscraper, which overlooks the district. | Kem Phetsomphou said he felt the explosion inside the Tour Montparnasse, formerly France’s tallest skyscraper, which overlooks the district. |
| Photos of the scene showed firefighters scaling ladders to fight a blaze on the upper floors of a historic apartment block, with wood, debris and shattered glass littering the street. | Photos of the scene showed firefighters scaling ladders to fight a blaze on the upper floors of a historic apartment block, with wood, debris and shattered glass littering the street. |
| Emergency services had been called to a fire in a ground floor apartment on Rue de Berite before the blast at around 12.20pm local time (11.20am BST), Le Parisien reported. | Emergency services had been called to a fire in a ground floor apartment on Rue de Berite before the blast at around 12.20pm local time (11.20am BST), Le Parisien reported. |
| "Firefighters were there for an hour-and-a-half trying to extinguish a fire on the ground floor, when a huge explosion shook the whole neighbourhood," a resident told the newspaper. | "Firefighters were there for an hour-and-a-half trying to extinguish a fire on the ground floor, when a huge explosion shook the whole neighbourhood," a resident told the newspaper. |
| "It's terrible, I saw several firefighters taken away on stretchers." | "It's terrible, I saw several firefighters taken away on stretchers." |
| Police sources told local media five people sustained injuries in the blast, which damaged several floors and part of a roof near the famous Ferrandi cookery school. | Police sources told local media five people sustained injuries in the blast, which damaged several floors and part of a roof near the famous Ferrandi cookery school. |
| The institution was temporarily evacuated as a precaution. | The institution was temporarily evacuated as a precaution. |
| Paris remains on high alert following last week's terror attacks in neighbouring Belgium and a separate plot uncovered to attack the French capital. | Paris remains on high alert following last week's terror attacks in neighbouring Belgium and a separate plot uncovered to attack the French capital. |
| The explosion initially sparked fears of another bombing in the city, where 130 people were massacred in November. | The explosion initially sparked fears of another bombing in the city, where 130 people were massacred in November. |
| "Paris is burning," one Twitter user wrote after photographing smoke from the fire. An employee at the Ferrandi school told local media: "People were scared, they thought it was a bomb." | "Paris is burning," one Twitter user wrote after photographing smoke from the fire. An employee at the Ferrandi school told local media: "People were scared, they thought it was a bomb." |
| There was no immediate indication of links to terrorism. | There was no immediate indication of links to terrorism. |