Explosion occurs near Russian Consulate in Marseille: report

PARIS – An explosion occurred Monday morning near the Russian Consulate General in Marseille, southern France, French public television channel TF1 reported.

According to TF1, the explosion took place in the 8th arrondissement of Marseille, near the Russian diplomatic facility, before 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT).

About 30 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, TF1 said, adding that police are currently “analyzing” a suspicious bottle.

Reports by Russia Today said that unknown persons threw containers with incendiary mixture into the premises of the Russian consulate, and Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the explosion had “all the signs of a terrorist attack.”

XINHUA