Paris gas explosion: 24 injured in fashion school collapse - as prosecutor opens investigation into blast

A gas explosion at a building in Paris has left at least 24 people injured, with four in a critical condition.

The blast on the French capital's Left Bank ignited a fire that sent smoke soaring over the domed Pantheon monument and prompted the evacuation of nearby buildings on Wednesday (21 June) evening, with local officials saying they were caused by a gas leak.

The facade of the building, in the 5th arrondissement, collapsed in the explosion, and emergency services were working to determine if anyone was still inside, police added.

Florence Berthout, the district's mayor, said four people were in an “absolute emergency” condition. “The explosion was extremely violent,” she said, with pieces of glass still falling from nearby buildings.

A Paris police official told the Associated Press that 24 people were injured, including four in a critical condition and 20 with less severe injuries. The official said many of the injuries were sustained when people were blown off their feet by the blast.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the building where the explosion occurred was a private school, the Paris American Academy, which was founded in 1965 and offers teaching in fashion design, interior design, fine arts and creative writing.

The fire was contained but not yet extinguished as of Wednesday evening, with 270 firefighters battling the blaze, and upwards of 70 emergency vehicles still at the scene.

The neighbourhood was cordoned off and dozens of emergency workers had flooded the area. Officials from the district attributed the blast and blaze to a gas leak.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said an investigation had been opened into aggravated involuntary injury, and the probe would examine whether the explosion stemmed from a suspected violation of safety rules. Investigators would seek to “determine whether or not there was a failure to respect a rule or individual imprudence that led to the explosion”.