Accra: Three young children and one adult were seriously injured in an explosion at a residential building near Paris, authorities said on Tuesday. The children are aged 2, 4, and 5, according to a spokeswoman for the local prefecture. French media reported that the injured adult was the children's 39-year-old mother.

According to Ghana News Agency, photos and video footage from the scene showed the house largely destroyed. The cause of the explosion in Magny-les-Hameaux, south-west of Paris, was not immediately clear. The blast was so powerful that debris was thrown as far as 100 metres, the prefecture said, adding that neighbouring homes and vehicles were also damaged.

Broadcaster France Info reported that the injured victims lived in the building. Le Parisien reported there was another, unoccupied apartment in the now-destroyed building.