One dead as parcel bomb explodes in Paris

Paris: One person has been killed and at least one other seriously injured in a parcel bomb explosion in central Paris, the French Interior Ministry has told CNN.

NN correspondent in Paris Jim Bittermann said it is believed a female secretary was killed in the blast.

Police said they are searching for a possible second explosive device. The blast happened in a law office in a building on the Boulevard Malesherbes in Paris' 8th district, near the Champs-Elysees.

Lawyer Christian Charriere-Bournazel told The Associated Press: "Someone came to the office and left a package. The secretary that opened it in fact opened a parcel bomb. The parcel bomb killed her."

The building contains several law offices, including the former firm of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and an office for a foundation dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust, police said.

The target of the blast is unclear.

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is expected to arrive on the scene after abruptly ending a trip to Brussels.