Paris blast kills one

A gas pipe exploded in a Paris suburb today killing at least one person and injuring 42 others, more than a dozen seriously.

It ruptured at about noon British time when a mechanical digger smashed through it.

The blast, across the street from a church in the centre of Bondy, north-east of Paris, triggered a blaze that 150 fire fighters battled for hours.

The flames spread to a nearby building, where the body of one person was found, firefighters said.

Most of the seriously injured suffered burns.