France: Several hurt in factory blast

An explosion ripped through an Airbus factory in southern France today, injuring at least five people, emergency officials said.

Two people suffered serious injuries, according to the regional fire and rescue department.

An hydraulic press for moulding sheet metal for aeroplane wings exploded, office director Francis Soutric said.

The warehouse was evacuated, though the rest of the plant, in the city of Toulouse in the French Pyrenees, continued to operate as usual.

The president of Airbus France, Jean-Marc Thomas, said the machine had undergone routine inspections, and that the cause of the explosion was under investigation.