PARIS — Nine Kent State University students in Paris for a summer fashion class are safe after the building they were housed in exploded Wednesday, the university said in a statement.

What You Need To Know

  • Nine Kent State University students in Paris for a fashion class are safe after the building they were housed in exploded

  • A gas leak is believed to have caused the blast, which sent 24 people to hospitals

  • The KSU students had left the building for an off-site activity

  • The students will return home early, and a similar class set for July will be delayed and possibly canceled

Faculty and staff of the Paris American Academy are also safe, officials said. At least 24 others were injured and taken to hospitals, and additional buildings caught fire.

A gas leak is believed to have caused the blast, officials said.

Parents with KSU students at the Paris American Academy should contact the Office of Global Education at 330-672-7980.

According to Kent State University President Todd Diacon, the explosion took place late in the day after the KSU students had gone to an off-site activity.

“We are thankful and relieved to know that our Kent State students are safe and accounted for,” Diacon said. “Our thoughts are with the other individuals who were injured in the explosion.”

The KSU students arrived in Paris Thursday, June 1, with the class scheduled to wrap up Wednesday, June 28.

The students will return home early, and a fashion class set to run in July will be delayed and possibly canceled, the university said.

The academy is located in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank of the River Seine, also known as the fifth arrondissement, an urban administrative district.