Eight injured after ‘parcel bomb filled with nails, screws and bolts’ explodes in Lyon

At least eight people, including a young child, have been left injured after a ‘parcel bomb filled with nails, screws and bolts’ exploded in Lyon, France.

French local officials say most of those hit suffered ‘minor injuries to the lower limbs’.

The incident occurred at 5:30 PM local time.

Witnesses at the scene claim the device was a self-improvised explosive, left outside bakery Brioche Doree on Victor Hugo Street.

According to Le Progres, a man dropped the bag off outside the bakery and it exploded ‘two minutes later’.

The manager of a nearby hotel told the publication that the noise of the explosion was ‘impressive’, adding that they saw metal plates on the floor and a ‘kind of circuit board’.

They said: ‘We saw a very panicked woman and a bleeding leg man taking refuge in a clothing business.’

Another witness, who lives above the bakery, said: ‘I heard the explosion, then I saw outside, several wounded people taking refuge in the pharmacy. I saw screws spilled on the floor.’

Officials say the perpetrator is unknown at this stage and emergency services are tending to the scene.

The site has now been shut-down and a police cordon is in place.

Neighbouring streets are now filling with soldiers, while several fire engines have arrived on site.

French President Emmanuel Macron calling the blast an ‘attack’ during a live interview about the European Parliament elections.

He confirmed there had been no fatalities and sent ‘a thought for the injured and their families’.