At least 16 injured after huge blast rocks France’s capital Paris

PARIS (Agencies): At least 16 people were injured after a blast rocked the fifth arrondissement of Paris, resulting in a fire affecting some buildings on Wednesday.

Paris police said at least seven of the injured were in critical condition, as they urged people to avoid the area.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said a fire was underway on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris’ fifth arrondissement, close to the Jardin Du Luxembourg and Sorbonne University.

Firefighters fought a blaze that sent smoke soaring over the domed Pantheon monument and prompted the evacuation of buildings in the neighborhood, police said.

A Paris police official said that the facade of one building had fallen onto the street as a result of the explosion and that many firefighters and members of the police force were attending to the scene.