'We were trembling from fear': Survivor recounts Paris explosion

Six people were killed when an explosion ripped through an apartment building outside Paris, reducing half a residential block to rubble, emergency services said.

Firefighters carry a body found in the rubble of a four-storey residential building which collapsed following a blast in Rosny-sous-Bois in the eastern suburbs of Paris (Getty)

The bodies of a child described as around 10 years old, a boy aged 14-18 and two women were recovered from the remains of the four-storey building in the northeastern suburb of Rosny-sous-Bois.

   

Two more bodies were found late in the evening as firefighters continued to comb the wreckage, leaving two other people still unaccounted for, Mayor Claude Capillon said.

   

Neighbours said the blast, which happened at around 07:00 am (0500 GMT), was strong enough to shake buildings some 100 metres (yards) away.

   

Early indications were that it was an accidental gas explosion.

   

"Our house moved, we were trembling from fear," said Pauline, a neighbour, adding that the explosion was so loud that "our ears were ringing".

Firefighters search through the rubble of a four-storey residential building that collapsed following a blast in Rosny-sous-Bois in the eastern suburbs of Paris. (Getty)

The bodies of a child described as around 10 years old, a boy aged 14-18 and two women were recovered from the remains of the four-storey building in the northeastern suburb of Rosny-sous-Bois.

   

Two more bodies were found late in the evening as firefighters continued to comb the wreckage, leaving two other people still unaccounted for, Mayor Claude Capillon said.

   

Neighbours said the blast, which happened at around 07:00 am (0500 GMT), was strong enough to shake buildings some 100 metres (yards) away.

   

Early indications were that it was an accidental gas explosion.

   

"Our house moved, we were trembling from fear," said Pauline, a neighbour, adding that the explosion was so loud that "our ears were ringing".