Huge explosion in Paris. The number of victims has risen to at least 29, with four in critical condition

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The complex appears to have been the headquarters of a design center. French media reported that many were in critical condition. As the facade of the affected building collapsed, the fire quickly spread to nearby buildings. Tenants were evicted. A huge cloud of smoke can be seen in the distance. The disaster is not far from the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne University. Many of the injured were treated at a nearby brasserie.

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Update time is 21:30

The Paris police prefecture on Wednesday evening took the toll of an explosion in the French capital’s 5th arrondissement that left 29 people injured, four in critical condition, and two people who were reported missing as a result of the explosion were being sought. The wreckage, the Paris prosecutor’s office declares, Le Figaro reports.

Update time 19:30

At least seven people were seriously injured, and nine more, in a natural gas explosion in the 5th arrondissement of Paris on Wednesday, the Paris Police Prefecture reports, Le Figaro reports.

Forensic police were sent to the scene and a dog unit was waiting to rule out suspicions of possible explosives, a police source told the French newspaper.

According to a journalist in the area, many residents of the sector cannot return home due to the security perimeter established by law enforcement.

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Update time 19:10

Le Figaro reported that at least four people were seriously injured in the blast in Paris’s 5th arrondissement, according to police sources.

Florence Berthoud, mayor of the 5th arrondissement, confirmed the balance.

According to several witnesses, people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

French soldiers were stationed for protection at the entrance to the security perimeter established at the site of the explosion.

The prosecutor’s office in Paris announced a provisional assessment of a “burnt injured person” following the explosion.

“At this point nothing allows us to determine the origin of the accident,” the prosecutor’s office insists.

The Paris American Academy, a school of design and fashion, exploded.

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The provincial council insists on “avoiding the sector”.

The first deputy mayor of the 5th arrondissement, Eduard Siwell, announces that “buildings are on fire” following a “natural gas explosion.”

Firefighters from Paris rushed to the scene, with a column of smoke rising above it.

A video posted on Twitter captures a lot of debris on the road.

Dozens of police and firefighters responded to the scene.

People were carried out of the building – on stretchers – by rescuers.

“Stay away, to allow firefighters to intervene,” Edward Siwell urged in a message on Twitter.

Several pictures and videos posted on social media showed smoke billowing from the scene of the disaster, and many netizens claimed to have heard an explosion.