Explosion at Paris art and design school leaves at least 37 injured and two missing

This Wednesday, the center of Paris suffered a major fire possibly caused by a gas explosion. Several buildings were affected, and more than three dozen people have been reported injured, four of them seriously.

Although this week was supposed to be a celebration in the French capital for Fashion Week, the event could be overshadowed after an art and design school suffered an explosion.

There is believed to have been a gas explosion in the Paris American Academy building, which caters primarily to international students. This caused the building to become engulfed in fire, affecting neighboring buildings.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez reported during a press conference that the explosion occurred at 4:55 p.m. (local time). Since then, some 200 firefighters have been on the scene to prevent the fire from spreading.

People in the vicinity of the incident were evacuated. However, it was not possible to keep them all safe. Just before 11 p.m. (local time), French Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin said at least 37 people were injured, of whom four are in serious condition. He also reported that two people were reported missing at the moment.

"It is possible that we will find bodies or people who are still alive tonight," he said.

Although the authorities reported that an investigation is still underway to determine the origin of the incident and whether there was a lack of regulations or recklessness, people in the neighborhood where the explosion occurred indicated that they noticed a strong smell of gas just before the explosion.

"An investigation is now underway, as part of legal investigation that has been opened on the following charges: unintentional injury with the aggravating circumstance of deliberately endangering the lives of others. I would stress that this charge was chosen because we felt it was the most appropriate on the basis of the evidence available at the time," said Laure Beccuau, Paris prosecutor.