Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque - Rue Arago

On 14 February 2022, an explosion caused a fire in Rue Arago in

Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque (; ca, Sant Llorenç de la Salanca) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Geography Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque is located in the canton of La Côte Salanquaise and in the arron ...

, in the Pyrénées-Orientales

department of France In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

, killing eight people and injuring thirty others.

Explosion

At around 1:30 A.M., on 14 February 2022, an explosion happened on the ground floor of a building in Rue Arago, Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque. It was followed by a major fire occurring either in the snack bar or at the grocery store. At least 11 apartments were affected. A witness said that they had first seen "a very loud explosion", followed by "huge flames." Another neighbour described it as "a horror scene … it was extraordinarily violent." The fire finally died down at noon after authorities had employed a team of 120 firefighters and some gendarmes.

Fatalities

Eight people, including two children, were killed by the blast. Three people were severely injured after inhaling smoke from the fire, and another man who had jumped out the building's window suffered serious injuries. Many survivors of the blast have suffered psychological damage. Among the dead were a young couple and their two children; one was a 2-3-year-old boy and the other was a baby. While the initial estimated death toll was seven, it was raised to eight the next day. A 66-year-old woman is still missing but unlikely to be alive.

Aftermath

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, and are currently investigating if it could be a case of arson. Two gas cylinders were found near the scene. In April three suspects were taken into custody. All three were of

North African North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

origin, including a Tunisian shopkeeper and two Algerians.

Olivier Dussopt Olivier Dussopt (born 16 August 1978 in Annonay, Ardèche) is French politician who has been serving as the minister of labour, employment and integration in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since 2022. He previously served as ...

issued a statement of empathy for the victims; affirming that "Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones."

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Gérald Darmanin Gérald Moussa Darmanin (; born 11 October 1982) is a French politician who has been serving as Minister of the Interior in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean Castex and Élisabeth Borne since 2020. A former member of The Republicans (L ...

tweeted that he was visiting the scene of the explosion.

References

{{coord missing, France 2022 fires in Europe 2022 disasters in France 21st century in Occitania (administrative region) Building and structure fires in France Explosions in 2022 Explosions in France February 2022 events in France History of Pyrénées-Orientales