Four badly injured as Paris blast destroys two buildings

PARIS, France -- An explosion of unknown origin that ripped through a building in a historic area in central Paris on Wednesday injured 24 people, including four seriously, officials said.

The blast was followed by a major fire which caused one building, housing a fashion school, to collapse, as well as an adjacent building, emergency services said.

Some 70 fire trucks and 230 firefighters were battling the blaze which was contained by the early evening. Nine doctors were also at the scene.

The fire service said there had been "an explosion" which had "caused the collapse of two buildings".

Several witnesses told AFP at the scene they had heard "a giant explosion".

Windows as far as 400 meters (440 yards) away were shattered, AFP reporters said.

The "violent" fire which broke out after the explosion has now been "contained", Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said at the scene, adding that "work is still taking place under the rubble" to find any more possible victims.

Prosecutors said two people were still missing following the blast.

The firefighters "prevented the spread of the fire to two adjoining buildings which were seriously destabilized by the explosion" and "were evacuated", Nunez added.

The blast was preceded by a gas leak, the district's mayor said on Twitter.

Florence Berthout, mayor of the 5th district in central Paris, said the main building affected is a private fashion school adjoining the former Val-de-Grace military hospital.

According to the mayor, the noise of the "quite enormous" explosion spread "in part of the district".

French prosecutors said the cause of the blast had not been determined. An investigation was launched immediately, they said.

- 'It echoed' -

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had earlier asked on Twitter for people to stay away from the area to not hinder the massive deployment of firefighters and police.

AFP pictures taken at the site showed tall flames, and smoke billowing from the building, situated at Place Alphonse-Laveran, close to the Luxembourg Gardens.

The area is at the edge of the Latin Quarter, a top tourism area in the French capital.

A local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that he "heard a huge explosion which made the windows vibrate".

"I thought it was a bombing. It echoed in the apartment. I had 10 seconds of great concern, many people were at the windows," he added.

While the cause is unclear, there are many precedents for gas-related blasts in the French capital.

The blast recalled a massive explosion that rocked Paris in January 2019, when a suspected leak in a buried gas pipe destroyed a building on the Rue de Trevise in the ninth district, killing four people including two firefighters.

The shockwave blew out scores of nearby windows, and dozens of families were forced to evacuate their homes for months. Much of the street still remains off limits four years after the disaster.

Paris city hall has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over that blast, and legal wrangling over the exact cause continues.

Agence France-Presse

Lebanon information minister resigns in wake of deadly blast

BEIRUT  — Lebanon’s information minister resigned on Sunday as the country grapples with the aftermath of the devastating blast that ripped through the capital and raised public anger to new levels.

The resignation comes as public anger is mounting against the ruling elite, blamed for the chronic mismanagement and corruption that is believed to be behind the explosion in a Beirut Port warehouse. Hundreds of tons of highly explosive material were stored in the waterfront hangar, and a blast sent a shock wave that killed at least 160 people, wounded nearly 6,000, and defaced the coastline of Beirut — destroying hundreds of buildings.


Manal Abdel-Samad said in her resignation letter that change remained “elusive” and she regrets failing to fulfill the aspirations of the Lebanese people.

“Given the magnitude of the catastrophe caused by the Beirut earthquake that shook the nation and hurt our hearts and minds, and in respect for the martyrs, and the pains of the wounded, missing and displaced, and in response to the public will for change, I resign from the government,” she wrote.

In the country where civil war raged for 15 years, few, if any, have been held accountable for it and most of the warlords remain in power or leading powerful political factions.

On Sunday, France’s Ambassador to Lebanon said his country is taking part in the investigation of the Aug. 4 blast. Bruno Foucher tweeted that 46 officers are operating as part of the judicial investigation. That probe was started by a French prosecutor after a national of France, Jean-Marc Bonfils, was killed in the blast and others injured.

It is “a guarantee of impartiality and speed” in the investigation, Foucher tweeted.

The disaster fueled angry demonstrations Saturday where protesters set up gallows and nooses in central Beirut and held mock hanging sessions of cut-out cardboard images of top Lebanese officials.

Demonstrators held signs that read “resign or hang.” The protests quickly turned violent when the demonstrators pelted stones at the security forces, who responded with heavy volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets. One police officer was killed and dozens of people were hurt in confrontations that lasted for hours.

Protesters also fanned out around the city, storming a couple of government ministries. They briefly took over the foreign ministry, saying it will be the headquarters of their movement. In the economy and energy ministries, the protesters ransacked offices and seized public documents claiming they would reveal how corruption has permeated successive governments.

Five of the parliament’s 128 members have also announced their resignation since Saturday— including three legislators of the Christian Kataeb party, a member of the Socialist Progressive Party and an independent.


Abdel-Samad’s resignation comes amid reports that another government official — the environment minister — is expected to resign, adding to the challenges facing Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

Diab took over in January and has since been beset by crises.

The government, backed by the powerful militant Hezbollah group and its allies, announced it is defaulting on Lebanon’s sovereign debt and has since been engaged in difficult, internally divisive talks with the International Monetary Fund for assistance.

The coronavirus restrictions deepened the impact of the economic and financial crisis and fueled public anger against the new government. Lebanese have criticized Diab’s government for being unable to tackle the challenges, saying it represents the deep-seated political class that has had a hold of the country’s politics since the end of the civil war in 1990.

Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti resigned even before the blast, citing an absence of “effective will to achieve comprehensive structural reform” and competing leadership.

In a televised speech Saturday evening, Diab said the only solution was to hold early elections.

He called on all political parties to put aside their disagreements and said he was prepared to stay in the post for two months to allow time for politicians to work on structural reforms.

The offer is unlikely to soothe the escalating fury on the street. It is also expected to trigger lengthy discussions over the election law amid calls for introducing changes to the country’s sectarian-based representation system.

The information minister’s resignation comes ahead of an international conference co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres aimed at bringing donors together to supply emergency aid and equipment to Lebanon.

Previous offers of aid have been contingent on carrying out significant government reforms to tackle corruption.

Associated Press

Death toll after explosion in Slovakia reaches 7; 1 missing

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Officials on Saturday raised the death toll from a gas explosion in an apartment building in eastern Slovakia to seven.

Firefighters and the town hall of the city of Presov said one person is still missing.


The explosion occurred toward the top of the 12-story building on Friday. The entire top half of the building burned and the top three floors were destroyed, firefighters said.

Rescuers have said some 40 people were injured.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which was finally fully extinguished on Saturday morning.

Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, who visited the site late Friday, said the building is so damaged that it’s possible it will have to be demolished.
People in surrounding homes also had to be evacuated.

/atm

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Power bank explodes inside back pocket of man using, charging phone while eating

A middle-aged man dining at Bedok Interchange Hawker Center in Singapore was rushed to the hospital after his power bank exploded inside his back pocket.

The man, who was in his 40s, burned his palm while removing the power bank from his pocket during the incident which happened on Jan. 11, as reported by Lianhe Wanbao via The Straits Times yesterday, Jan. 12. He was taken to Changi General Hospital for the treatment of his injuries.

The report did not state the reason why the man’s power bank exploded.

An assistant for a duck rice stall, Huang Jia Qiang, recounted the man was using his phone while eating. His phone was connected to a power bank in his back pocket.

Suddenly, Huang heard an explosion from where the man was seated, the report said. He also noted that he smelled something burning.

Another diner, Wendy Hong, said she also got a whiff of burning chemicals. “There was a thick, gray smoke, and I could also smell a very strong stench of burning chemicals,” she told the publication.

Diners immediately helped the injured man who was in a lot of pain. They put ice on the victim’s palm before bundling his hand in food wrap.


They then called the authorities for help, as per the report. The Singapore Civil Defense Force responded not long after and rushed the man to the hospital. Kate Matriano/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

3 dead after explosion at South Korean naval base

SEOUL, South Korea—An accidental explosion at a South Korean naval base on Tuesday left three soldiers dead and another injured, South Korea’s defense ministry said.

Military authorities are investigating the blast that occurred during repair work of a submarine at the base in the southeastern port town of Jinhae, but the possibility of an attack was considered very low.

The explosion occurred when the soldiers opened the hatch of the docked submarine and was strong enough to blow one of the dead soldiers into the sea, said a ministry official, who didn’t want to be named, citing official rules.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net