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The blast took place in a building that housed a design school and the Catholic education system headquarters in Rue Saint-Jacques, in the fifth arrondissement of the French capital.
Emergency workers are searching through the wreckage of the building, with two people thought to be missing.
According to witnesses, there was a strong smell of gas before the blast.
Local deputy mayor, Edouard Civel, said on social media the cause was a "gas explosion".
But authorities said the cause of the blast had not yet been determined.
The building was initially engulfed by fire, but the blaze was later brought under control, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez.
The area has been cordoned off and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has been to the scene.
He said sniffer dogs had identified where further victims might be found under the rubble.
The area where the explosion took place runs south from the Latin Quarter in Paris's Left Bank area that is popular with tourists and known for its student population.
Paris explosion: More than 30 injured after blast
Four of the injured are in a critical state after the blast in the historic Latin Quarter, police say.
www.bbc.com
