At least thirteen people between the ages of 18 and 25 died and several were injured as a result of the fire in the basement of the Le Cuba Libre bar, located at 44 Avenue Jacques Cartier, local media Paris-Normandie reporting, citing local firefighters.
Guys we have a very odd situation in #Rouen where Cath. Priest was murdered. Media saying fire but looks suspect. https://t.co/4TbPFq3eP5
— Wikileaks Sheriff (@badgoy1932) August 6, 2016
Dozens of people were inside when the explosion occurred.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed in a statement that the fire killed 13 people and left 6 others wounded. Cazeneuve said as quoted by Le Monde on Saturday that a "judicial inquiry is underway to determine the cause of the fire."
According to Cazeneuve, over 50 firefighters worked on putting out the blaze.
#BREAKING At least 13 people killed after a fire ravages a bar in Rouen, northern France pic.twitter.com/5LQRCZJIFQ
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) August 6, 2016
A number of casualties can rise further, according to the local media.
Firefighters were called at about 00:50 local time on Saturday (22:50 GMT on Friday).
Il y autre une victime en urgence absolue #rouen Le bilan peut donc monter à 14 morts
— Julien Le Clézio (@julienboulot) August 6, 2016
One of the injured is in critical condition, according to Paris-Normandie.
#BREAKING At least 13 youths die in devastating bar fire in #Rouen, #France's Normandy, local newspaper reports pic.twitter.com/5yZ42Z5tWD
— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) August 6, 2016
The mayor visited the site. The exact reasons of the tragedy are still unknown, but it can be an accidental explosion, according to local media.
