Several people have been wounded by a suspected package bomb blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of Lyon in the south-east of France, the local prosecutors’ office has said.
The area where the explosion occurred on Friday, on the narrow strip of land between the Saône and Rhône rivers in the historical city centre, has been evacuated. The incident came just two days before the country’s fiercely contested European elections.
A police source said the package contained “screws or bolts” and had been placed in front of a bakery on the corner of the two popular streets. A man, apparently in his early 30s, who was spotted near the scene shortly before the attack was being sought by police, a source close to the inquiry said.
Police said seven people had been hurt but that none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, called the blast an “attack” during a live Facebook interview, adding that no deaths had been reported “for the time being”.
He said: “It’s not for me to give a toll, but it appears there are no casualties. There have been injuries, so obviously I’m thinking of these injured and their families.”
Denis Broliquier, mayor of the city’s second arrondissement, said: “An eight-year-old girl was wounded … We’re fairly relieved because apparently there were no serious injuries but on the other hand, we are certain it was an explosive device.” He said the suspect wanted by police had been seen on video surveillance cameras.
“There was an explosion and I thought it was a car crash,” said Eva, a 17-year-old student who was about 15 metres (50 feet) from the site of the blast. “There were bits of electric wire near me, and batteries and bits of cardboard and plastic. The windows were blown out.”
A terrorism investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction over all terror cases in the country.
France has been on high alert following a wave of deadly terror attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 250 people.
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