The first reports suggested an accident, which according to some witnesses could be related to a gas leak, but authorities have reacted with restraint and are investigating the causes.

Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the explosion, which occurred at around 17:00 local time, came from inside a building, and that it is investigating “unintentional injuries resulting in more than three months of incapacity to work given a violation of a duty”. Television images showed rubble from the Paris American Academy strewn across the Rue Saint-Jacques and smoke rising from at least two nearby buildings that were ablaze.

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