A body was discovered on Tuesday June 27 in the rubble of the building on rue Saint-Jacques in Paris, blown up on Wednesday June 21 by an explosion followed by a fire, a source familiar with the matter told Le Monde and at Agence France-Presse.
A woman had since been missing, but given the degraded state of the body, it was not possible to identify her immediately, the same source added, confirming information from the Parisian. An autopsy is scheduled very soon.
In a press release Friday evening, the Paris prosecutor’s office explained that four people were “still in absolute urgency”. The prosecution had counted 54 other victims, who “most suffered from minor injuries or psychological shock”, and “48 other people [who] came forward as being involved, that is to say likely to have suffered damage “.
Investigation for unintentional injuries
The facts occurred on Wednesday shortly before 5 p.m. at 277, rue Saint-Jacques, an artery in the center of the capital. An explosion followed by a fire caused the collapse of a 17th century pavilion, classified as a historical monument, which bordered the main courtyard of the former Val-de-Grâce abbey and housed a private fashion school, the Paris American Academy. The origin of the disaster was still undetermined on Tuesday.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into unintentional injuries resulting in total incapacity for work for more than three months by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of prudence or safety. The investigation was extended for the manslaughter count on Tuesday after the body was found. The 3rd judicial police district of Paris was seized of the investigations.
