[WATCH] Paris carnival explosion injures 18

At least 18 people were injured when a huge explosion rocked a popular carnival in northern France, French media said.

The blast occurred at the end of the Yellow Carnaval in Villepine, north-east of Paris, on Saturday afternoon when a ‘Bengal Fire’ display exploded into the crowd.

Screaming spectators were thrown to the ground while onlookers were hit by chunks of burning wood and other debris after the fireball erupted from the guy-style figure known as Mr Carnival which was made of straw and wood.  

“Many are injured in the face, and all are in hospital,” said Nathalie Crespin, a spokeswoman for the Paris fire brigade, adding that five were “in a very bad way.”

A mother and her child are among those seriously injured and the town's mayor was also hurt, Le Parisien newspaper reported. Many of the injured suffered burns.

Agence France-Presse reported that five people were seriously injured, and that a number of people suffered facial wounds.

None of the injured is believed to be in danger of dying.

Video posted on social media showed the bonfire blowing up seconds after being ignited, sending debris flying.

A few hundred people, including local families, the mayor and other officials were waiting to watch the lighting of the 20ft high effigy when the explosion took place.

The fuel that was used to light the fighter had apparently been mishandled, Ms Crespin said, adding that the children injured were aged between two to 14. Crispin and officials from local police and the prosecutor's office of the Seine-Saint-Denis region said the explosion was found to be accidental.

A police source told the BFM news network that the explosion may have been caused by the petrol used to help start the fire, which marks the end of the annual carnival in Villepinte.