Death toll up to seven from Paris blast ‘caused by gas leak’

At least seven people have been killed and one other is believed to be trapped after an explosion in a four-storey building in Paris. Sniffer dogs are being used to search the residential complex in Rosny-sous-Bois, an eastern suburb of the French capital. Gaetan de Raucourt, head of the Paris firefighting department, said earlier that residents could have found “pockets of air” beneath the rubble. Early indications are that the blast was caused by a gas leak.

People might be sheltering there. We still have hope of finding survivors.

Gaetan de Raucourt, head of the Paris firefighting department

Among the dead were a 10-year-old boy and another 14-year-old child, emergency services said. At least 11 others were injured. Images of the blast showed the building had practically ripped in two with the contents of apartments exposed. Emergency crew chief Bernard Tourneur said the rest of the building was “threatening to cave in”. France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve visited the scene and pledged support for victims and their families.