Paris explosion kills child, search for injured amid rubble continues

Cause of blast is still to be found, but could have been result of gas leak

(BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images)

A four-storey building exploded and collapsed, killing at least one child, in an Eastern Paris suburb on Sunday morning.

Ten people were evacuated from the building, including four that were seriously wounded, a spokesman for the fire department told French TV station iTele. Another ten people — including five children — could be trapped under the rubble in the suburb of Rosny-Sous-Bois, officials said.

Photos from the scene showed the side had been entirely ripped off the building by the explosion — which contains four storeys of flats, as well as shops at the bottom.

Investigations were continuing, but the explosion appeared to be the result of a gas leak, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters. It occurred around 7am local time.