Blast at Paris apartment leaves 3 dead

An explosion at an apartment in Paris on Sunday left three people dead, local media reported.

The blast occurred in an apartment on the seventh floor of a building in Paris' 11th arrondissement, according to the Le Parisien newspaper.

Overcome by panic while trying to escape the fire that resulted, a resident jumped from the building and died.

Firefighters arrived quickly and contained the blaze, but two people were found dead in the apartment.

Evacuated residents were told they could return to their apartments in two hours.

The cause of the blast remains under investigation.