Four people killed as gas leak causes huge explosion in central Paris
Story Code : 771835
The blast took place in the 9th district of Paris on Saturday morning.
France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said four people had been killed as a result of the blast. Two of those killed were firefighters, he added.
A Spanish woman on holiday with her husband was among those killed, a source with the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.
"As firemen were looking for a gas leak in the building, a dramatic explosion took place," Castaner said, adding that one of the firemen had been buried under debris for several hours.
Ten people had serious but non-life threatening injuries while at least another 37 people had lighter injuries, he said.
Pictures shared on social media showed the windows blown out of a building with rubble strewn across the street.
The cause of the incident remained unclear but French authorities said the blast was believed to be cause by a gas leak inside a bakery store.
Paris police warned the public in a tweet and called on residents to "avoid the area and allow the passage of the emergency vehicles.”
The development comes ahead of the ninth executive weekend of anti-government “yellow vest” protests across the country.
French authorities have vowed zero tolerance for violence. Reports said some 5,000 officers with armored vehicles were ready to be deployed in Paris.