At least 16 injured by a powerful gas explosion in the center of Paris

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At least 16 people have been injured by a powerful gas explosion that shook the fifth district of Paris on Wednesday, near the Pantheon, and due to which several buildings have suffered damage.

The Police Headquarters has detailed that seven of the injured are in a state of “absolute emergency”, while the other nine are in a moderate state, according to the French newspaper ‘Le Figaro’.

The emergency has led the authorities, including the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, to recommend that citizens avoid traveling to this area, where a large security and emergency device has been activated.

These are some of the images of the center of Paris after the gas explosion that has damaged several buildings. The authorities recommend citizens to avoid this area, where a large emergency force device has been activated https://t.co/ZcoPrg26bf pic.twitter.com/2aOtOsWahp

— Europa Press (@europapress) June 21, 2023

The Paris City Council has activated a crisis cell to respond to this event, of which hardly any details have been disclosed. The mayoress of the French capital, Anne Hidalgo, has gone to the scene, reports the BFM TV network.

A witness cited by this chain has assured that the façade of one of the affected buildings has collapsed, although the authorities have not offered a preliminary balance of possible victims.

The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, has launched a post on her Twitter profile in which she has expressed her “full support” for the injured and her gratitude to the security forces who are striving to rescue potential victims. .