A large explosion in central Paris has caused injuries to 37 people, including four serious cases.

The incident occurred in a building that housed a design school and the Catholic education system headquarters on Rue Saint-Jacques. Emergency workers are currently searching through the wreckage, as one person is still missing. Witnesses reported a strong gas smell prior to the blast.

Local deputy mayor Edouard Civel attributed the cause to a gas explosion on social media, although authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause. Initial analysis of camera footage suggests the explosion originated within the building, adjacent to the Val de Grâce church.

The building initially caught fire but has since been brought under control. The affected area has been sealed off, and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has visited the scene. One of the two missing individuals has been located in a hospital, while search efforts continue for the other person. The explosion site is located in a popular tourist area known for its student population, extending south from the Latin Quarter on Paris’s Left Bank.