Paris police evacuate Champs-Elysees, security operation under way

French police have evacuated Champs-Elysees in Paris amid reports of a car on fire.

French media reported that a man has been detained, after he crashed a car into a gendarmerie van.

Witnesses described seeing a car on fire as police cleared the streets, with some reporting a person lying in the street.

French media reported there were not thought to be any other casualties.

According to Reuters, the construction site of the Marigny theater, near the roundabout of the famous avenue, was evacuated.

The Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau metro station, served by lines 1 and 13, is closed for security reasons, the French public transport company RATP announced.

Police said a security operation was under way and witnesses said a cordon was being extended across the shopping district.

France is in a state of emergency after being hit by a wave of deadly terror attacks in recent years.

A policeman was shot dead and two others were wounded in an attack on the Champs-Elysees in April, just days before the presidential election.