Story highlights
French President Francois Hollande's office calls incident "a terrible tragedy"
Two people die in building collapse in Reims, 10 injured, Hollande says
A gas explosion destroyed part of an apartment building Sunday in Reims, France, Mayor Adelie Hazan told CNN affiliate BFM TV.
French President Francois Hollande’s office released a statement calling the incident “a terrible tragedy.”
“Despite the rapid intervention of firefighters, two people died in the collapse of the building and 10 were injured, one seriously. All resources are mobilized to rescue and secure the premises,” Hollande said, extending condolences to the families of the victims and the city of Reims in northeast France.
Crews were retrieving bodies from under the rubble as investigators tried to determine the source of the explosion, BFM TV reported.
Journalist Niki Cook contributed to this report from Paris and Mark Morgenstein wrote it in Atlanta.