By Canadian Press

Small blast in French city of Lyon wounds 7; cause unclear

May 24, 2019 | 11:00 AM

LYON, France — A small explosion Friday on a commercial street in the French city of Lyon injured seven people, local officials said.

The cause of the blast that occurred in or outside a branch of the bakery chain Brioche Doree wasn’t immediately clear, according to Kamel Amerouche, the regional authority’s communications chief. Authorities couldn’t confirm French media reports that a small package had exploded.

Amerouche told The Associated Press that the victims sustained leg injuries that weren’t life-threatening. Live television images of the street showed the Brioche Doree sign intact and police vans and an ambulance on the street, which had been cordoned off from the public.

French President Emmanuel Macron called it an “attack” during a live interview about the European Parliament elections that run through Sunday. But the president of greater Lyon, David Kimelfeld, urged calm.

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“We must remain prudent and wait for the analysis of the circumstances and not panic the Lyon population,” Kimelfeld said on BFMTV.

The central area, the Presqu’ile, lies between the Rhone and Saone rivers that run through France’s third-largest city.

Earlier, French officials said eight people were wounded, but later lowered the figure to seven.

Macron sent his thoughts “to the injured and their families.”

The women’s World Cup soccer tournament is scheduled to start in France on June 7. Lyon will host the semifinals, and then the final on July 7.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said in a tweet that he has sent instructions for Lyon authorities to strengthen “the security of public sites and sporting, cultural and religious events.”

The Associated Press