Paris apartment collapses during party, one badly injured

The fifth floor of a building on Rue Amelot in Paris's 11th arrondissement collapsed during a party. Paris, France, January 18, 2026. OLIVIER CORSAN / PHOTOPQR/LE PARISIEN/MAXPPP

The floor of a Paris flat collapsed during a crowded party this weekend, seriously injuring one person and leaving around 15 others with minor injuries, police, rescue services and prosecutors said on Sunday, January 18.

The floor of the fifth-floor apartment caved in during a gathering of around 50 people on Saturday night in the French capital's 11th arrondissement, they said.

One person suffered cardiorespiratory arrest, but was resuscitated and immediately taken to hospital after the accident, police said. Fifteen other people were also being treated for their injuries, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Police said rescue teams had propped up the fourth floor to avoid further damage, but that the building's overall structure was intact. According to initial findings, the collapse was "structural" and not related to a gas leak, the Paris fire department said. Some 145 firefighters with 45 vehicles, as well as numerous ambulances, were mobilized.