A newborn baby was among seven people killed in an explosion in the Pyrenees region of south-west France, local media has reported.
Public prosecutor Jean-David Cavaille told AFP that two children were among those who died in the tragedy in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque. He said arson was among the possibilities being investigated as a cause, while also mentioning the possibility that gas cylinders may have been present in the shop where the blast occurred.
Mr Cavaille told reporters that the number of victims is “provisional” and “may, unfortunately, change".
An investigation into “arson resulting in death” has been launched, Mr Cavaille told a press conference on Monday. But he added that it was “too early” to say with certainty whether the cause of the explosion was “accidental or criminal".
A neighbour described hearing a loud bang in the early morning before a fire broke out in a ground-floor store, believed to be a grocery-sandwich shop.
Twenty-five people were evacuated from the site and nearby buildings after the explosion, which happened at about 1.30am. French media reported that several people required treatment for smoke inhalation.
One man in his 30s was taken to hospital in a critical condition after leaping from a second-storey window to escape the fire, as the floor collapsed.
Firefighters were on Monday continuing to search for victims in two small blocks of flats amid growing fears they would collapse due to the damage caused by the blaze. Officials said a search is continuing for at least two people who are missing.
Gerald Darmanin, France's Interior Minister, confirmed that seven people died in the incident in the Pyrenees-Orientales, a region bordering Andorra and Spain, and said he was cutting short a visit to the southern city of Montpellier to travel to the scene.
“An explosion followed by a fire killed at least 7 people in the Pyrenees-Orientales,” he posted on Twitter. “I interrupt my trip to Montpellier to go there. I give my full support to the mobilised state services and to the inhabitants. Thoughts to the victims and their loved ones.”
Speaking at the scene of the blast, Mr Darmanin said about 30 people were wounded or suffered psychological trauma, and later tweeted his “full support” for emergency services.
Photos from the scene showed the charred remains of a three-storey building, with adjoining buildings also blackened by smoke.
About 100 firefighters responded and by late Monday morning the fire was under control. A cordon erected around the blast site remains in place.
“I heard a very loud explosion, then I saw huge flames,” said neighbour Nadine Bret, 59.
“The buildings were ravaged by the flames. It was total panic.”
The witness said construction work had been going on in a shop on the ground floor of one of the buildings on Sunday.
Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Olivier Dussopt, France’s Junior Minister of Public Action and Accounts, arrived at the scene and was greeted by the town’s mayor Alain Got.
Mr Dussopt posted a photo of the gutted building on Twitter, offering his thoughts to the victims of the “terrible explosion”.
He sought to reassure those affected that the government would stand by them in the midst of the tragedy. “The state is on their side,” he said.
