China News Service, Paris, February 14. On February 14, an explosion and fire broke out in a building near Perpignan in southern France, killing seven people.
Rescue work is still ongoing.
The explosion occurred at 1:30 a.m. local time on the 14th in Saint-Laurent-de-Salenque, a town near the southern French city of Perpignan.
Rescue workers found the remains of the victims at the scene of the incident that morning, and four people are still missing.
According to French media reports, the incident also caused many injuries. A 27-year-old man jumped off the building to avoid the flames. He was seriously injured and was taken to Perpignan hospital for treatment.
Three others were also taken to hospital after suffering minor poisoning from smoke inhalation.
Photos from the scene showed that the building that exploded and caught fire was a three-story multi-purpose house with a grocery store on the ground floor and a residence above.
The explosion appeared to have occurred on the ground floor of the building, and gas tanks were found near the building, but it is unclear whether it caused the explosion.
85 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire.
The fire is now under control, but the interior of the building is severely damaged.
Dozens of people near the building were evacuated.
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