Many critically injured in central Paris explosion

At least 16 people have sustained injuries, seven of them severe, after an explosion in central Paris, the French capital.

The blast which happened on Wednesday in Rue Saint-Jacques caused one building’s facade to collapse, while several others caught fire.

The area is famed for its high student population.

According to France 24, witnesses described hearing a large explosion preceding the fire.

Laurent Nunez, the Paris police chief, said the explosion occurred inside a building that includes the Paris American Academy, a bilingual school of fashion and design.

The road leads from the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral to the Sorbonne University and the Val-de-Grâce military hospital and is a few blocks from the popular Jardin du Luxembourg.

The area is usually packed with tourists and foreign students in the early summer.

Loubna Atta, police spokesperson, said it was too early to determine the source of the fire and could not confirm reports that it was caused by a gas explosion.

Police have asked residents to avoid the area as interventions continue.