Monaco explosion leaves three wounded as authorities probe deliberate attack

Three people including a teenager were wounded Monday in an explosion at a residential building in Monaco, which authorities described as a "deliberate" act.

A source close to the investigations who asked not to be named told AFP that one of those wounded was a Ukrainian oligarch, Vadym Yermolaiev.

The territory's Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP the blast at a residential building appeared to be "an attack", but later dropped that term, describing it as a "deliberate explosion".

An aide to France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled".

The explosion struck around 9:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) in a residential building on a street along the border with France.

Public prosecutor Stephane Thibault said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building's lobby before leaving.

Nothing appeared for the moment to indicate why the building might have been targeted, he said.

A couple in their 50s or 60s wounded in the blast were in life-threatening conditions, while a 13-year-old who was "very likely related to the couple" suffered less serious injuries, Mirmand said, without disclosing their nationality.

The explosive device apparently contained bolts and buckshot, Mirmand said.

"This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality," he said.

Mirmand said the prosecutor would give a news briefing on Tuesday.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)