PARIS – A gas line exploded Tuesday on a downtown street in a busy Paris suburb, injuring at least 35 people, about 10 of them seriously, and causing a fire in a nearby building, rescuers said.
What caused the gas line to explode, across the street from a church in the town of Bondy, was not immediately known, said Florent Hivert of the Paris firefighters squad.
About 150 firefighters and 40 trucks battled the blaze in a nearby building, Hivert said, raising the possibility that victims could be found inside.
About 90 minutes after the 2 p.m. blast, gas was still burning, though the line had been cut.
The injured, many if whom suffered burns, were taken to hospitals in the region northeast of Paris or in the capital.
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