PARIS, June 21. /TASS/. A building in Paris’ fifth arrondissement has completely collapsed after an explosion occurred there on Wednesday, according to the BFM TV channel.

According to it, at least 16 people were injured with seven of them in critical condition. The blast took place around 4:55 p.m. (5:55 p.m. Moscow time). Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has arrived at the site of the incident.

Some 230 firefighters and 9 medics are working on site. The cause of the explosion has not yet been established. Earlier, it was reported that a gas leak occurred in the building.

It is reported that the building housed the Paris American Academy fashion design school.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed the information about the explosion. "A fire on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris’ fifth arrondissement. A firefighting crew was dispatched to the scene. Please, don’t obstruct their work and avoid this area," he wrote on his Twitter page.

"We heard a powerful explosion. We saw black smoke and falling debris," the Liberation newspaper quoted a local resident as saying.