Gas explosion at fine arts school in Paris, France; at least 16 hurt | USA TODAY

French authorities are investigating a gas explosion at the Paris American Academy, a private fine arts school. https://bit.ly/46b5heB RELATED: Missing Titanic submersible faced safety questions. What we know. https://youtu.be/ZHlvN5PmO4w Police are investigating after a powerful blast hit a building in Paris Wednesday injuring at least 24 people, prompting the evacuation of surrounding buildings and sending plumes of smoke into the air over the city. The cause of the explosion in rue Saint-Jacques in the city’s 5th arrondissement, or district, was not immediately known but officials said a gas leak could be to blame. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters a fire broke out after the explosion near the historic Val de Grace military hospital. » Subscribe to USA TODAY: http://bit.ly/1xa3XAh » Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY: https://tinyurl.com/34t3ueac » USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR. #explosion #France #school