Explosion In Garage In Central Paris Kills At Least 3, Mayor Says Blast Likely An Accident

Explosion Kills At Least 3 In Central Paris
French firefighters gather at the site of a blast in central Paris on September 27, 2013. One person was killed, another was missing and at least three people were wounded in the blast that took place in the basement of a building. It is believed that the blast happened while workers were repairing a fuel tank. AFP PHOTO / PIERRE ANDRIEU (Photo credit should read PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images)
French firefighters gather at the site of a blast in central Paris on September 27, 2013. One person was killed, another was missing and at least three people were wounded in the blast that took place in the basement of a building. It is believed that the blast happened while workers were repairing a fuel tank. AFP PHOTO / PIERRE ANDRIEU (Photo credit should read PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images)

(Adds details on fuel tank, fire brigade statement)

PARIS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - At least three people were killed on Friday in a large explosion on a work site in central Paris which the fire brigade said was likely an accident caused by a fuel tank igniting.

The blast on a narrow street in northern Paris ripped through an underground garage where several workers were gathered, causing surrounding buildings to shake.

A building across from the blast site had been evacuated and the fire brigade was reinforcing its foundations to avoid collapse, a fireman said.

A fuel tank was the most likely cause of the blast, he added. Rescuers were using dogs to search for a possible fourth victim under rubble.

"The circumstances of this tragedy are not yet clear and an investigation will shed light on this terrible accident," Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said in a statement. (Reporting By Gerard Bon; Writing by Nicholas Vinocur; editing by Mark John)

Before You Go

Crackdown In Saint-Denis

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot