Blast injures 18 at French carnival

Eighteen people have been injured, five seriously, by a bonfire effigy that blew up at a carnival north of Paris.

The blast happened when organisers set fire to a wooden figure during a carnival at Villepinte after a traditional parade by local children yesterday local time, emergency workers said. 

None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, and three were children.

Police said the effigy of a man, made out of plywood, was ignited by petrol using remote control.

The blast showered parts of the crowd with sparks and wooden splinters, which led to the injuries, and caused a momentary panic.

An inquiry has been opened.