This Startling Explosion Disrupted A Paris Carnival And Injured At Least 30

#URGENT?”#Explosion au Carnaval de #Villepinte. 18 blessés, dont la maire. 5 en “urgence absolue” lors de l’allumage d’un feu de Bengale.” pic.twitter.com/qxUCxKg6B5

— FranceNews24 (@FranceNews24) April 1, 2017

An accidental explosion rocked a Paris suburb on Saturday and left at least 30 injured, some severely according to The Daily Mail. The explosion occurred at the Yellow Carnival in Villepinte, Paris during the lighting of a fireworks display dubbed “Mr. Carnaval.” Something went horribly wrong during the lighting and as you can see in the video above, the explosion was far more powerful than expected.

The popular event took place only miles from Charles De Gaulle airport and the center of Paris. At least 18 were seriously injured by the blast, with 5 in a very serious condition at a local hospital. Eyewitnesses on the scene initially thought the explosion was planned, but that was quickly forgotten once the injuries started to pile up according to The Daily Mail:

The gasoline used to light the fire was apparently mishandled, prompting the explosion, she said.

Onlookers were hit by chunks of burning wood and suffered primarily from burns…

The Mr Carvival effigy was almost 20ft high, and had erupted in flames when the Bengal Fire was lit, she said.

‘The kid was screaming and covered in blood,’ said an eyewitness, who added: ‘To begin with, everyone thought the explosion was planned, then we realised something had gone terribly wrong.

Paris authorities were clear to make sure citizens were made aware that the explosion was not terror related. Paris and the rest of France are still on high alert following a string of terror attacks, including the deadly Paris attack in November 2015.

(Via The Daily Mail / Metro)