Two children aged three and five have been killed after a gas explosion in an apartment building in France.
At least 13 people were injured with two more thought to have been trapped beneath the rubble, according to linternaute.
The incident took place on the ground floor of a four-storey block in Trévoux on Monday at around 5:30pm when emergency services rushed to the scene. At least 30 people were rescued from the scene.
“Fifty firefighters and 36 vehicles, as well as medical personnel, have been mobilized to assist the victims,” local authorities said in the aftermath of the blast.
“The two schools located nearby suffered material damage, broken windows, but school officials do not report any injuries.”
The loud explosion is said to have been heard up to five kilometres away from the epicentre of the blast.
The two children killed in the incident were siblings and died after resuscitation attempts by emergency services, according to the publication.
They were the children of a town hall employee who worked as a catering assistant at a school located 100 metres from the building.
Trévoux mayor Marc Péchoux said that the explosion was “caused by gas” as investigators continued their inquiries to determine the exact circumstances. Ain prefect Chantal Mauchet said that “accidental cause is the most likely” explanation.
The call for people under the rubble was called off after “the dogs couldn't detect anything under the debris,” the mayor said.
Footage on social media shows large concrete blocks strewn across the road in the aftermath of the blast.
Péchoux explained that the forty-year-old building was not known to be dilapidated and had always been well maintained having undergone a major maintenance operation two years ago.
At least 70 residents have had to be rehoused as well as the inhabitants of 20 houses nearby impacted by the incident. They will be unable to return home until complete fire inspections have taken place to determine their residences are safe.
One witness described how his own home was impacted by the explosion, telling BFMTV: “I thought someone had broken into my house” after he returned to find air vents from his windows on the ground and a ceiling hatch detached from the roof.
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