Paris Metro electrical fire leaves at least two needing treatment for smoke inhalation
Police sealed off the station in the south of the city
THE 'HUGE explosion' reportedly heard on the Paris metro last night has now been confirmed as an electrical fire.
At least two people were treated for smoke inhalation after dozens were evacuated from Line Six near the Place d'Italie subway station.
A police spokesman said the incident was due to a technical fault.
“No explosion. This was not a (terrorist) attack,” he added.
A spokesman for metro operator RATP said: “There was a technical incident on line 6 and there was a release of smoke. Maintenance workers are on the spot. Traffic has been interrupted on part of the line.”
As news of the fire first broke, witnesses were widely quoted as saying they heard an explosion on the Metro.
This noise is likely to have simply been the start of the fire, the RATP later said.
Meanwhile initial reports of a higher eight-person injury count are understood to come from local journalists tweeting about the incident.
Images shared on Twitter showed cops cordoning off the area around the metro station after the evacuation.
The French capital remains on high alert following the machete attack at the Louvre last week.
During that incident, witnesses described a scene of panic and confusion after a knifeman attacked a French soldier.
The attacker was then shot five times in the stomach after “lightly wounding” the soldier.
The man behind the attack was an Egyptian who had entered France just days ago, according to reports.
Sources close to the investigation think he travelled to France at the end of January, Reuters said.
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