Following a gas explosion in central Paris on Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed to CNN on Thursday that six people are still in critical condition and one person is still missing.
The event left around 50 people hurt, however the Paris prosecutor’s office, which is looking into the explosion, warned the number may not be exact.
According to Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, 270 firefighters were sent to the scene in Rue Saint Jacques in the city’s fifth arrondissement, and they put out the fire in less than two hours.
Francois Braun, France’s health minister, told CNN affiliate BFMTV Thursday that some of those injured are suffering from “extremely significant burns,” while others have suffered “significant traumatic injuries” due to the blast.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin visited the site of the explosion on Wednesday. He said it was unclear how exactly the explosion occurred, adding there was no warning before the incident.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor said that early signs indicate that the gas explosion came from within the building that houses the Paris American Academy, according BFMTV.
A part of the building collapsed following the blast and fire, videos show. Smoke was seen billowing from the rubble earlier on Wednesday as rescue workers attempted to tackle the blaze.
Paris American Academy, a fashion and design school, describes itself on its website as the “first bilingual design school” in the French capital
Kent State University, in the US state of Ohio, said all its students at the Paris American Academy are safe and accounted following the blast.
Locals were also stopped from returning to their homes in surrounding streets by authorities in the aftermath of the explosion.
One woman, who gave her name as Anne, told a CNN producer at the scene that she was inside her flat, around 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the site, when the explosion happened.
“It felt like an earthquake, the windows banged against each other,” she said.
Another woman who didn’t want to give her name and lives in a neighboring avenue told CNN that her doors slammed shut from the explosion.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo visited the scene later on Wednesday, writing in a tweet, “My thoughts go first of all to the victims and their close ones.” Authorities in Paris have opened an emergency response unit to handle the aftermath of the explosion.
French President Emmanuel Macron briefly addressed the disaster later on Wednesday, thanking the first responders for their work. “In celebrating music today, we are also thinking of [the victims] and all those who are going through a difficult time,” Macron added before launching a performance Wednesday night at Élysée for the Music Day.