A bomb left in a backpack detonated in Monaco's Reverend Pere Louis Frolla area this evening

A powerful explosion struck a residential building on rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla in Monaco on Monday evening, injuring three people, two of them seriously, with a suspect still being sought by police. The blast occurred at around 9pm and was followed by a major deployment of security and emergency services.

According to initial information from Monaco’s Sûreté Publique, an individual was caught on surveillance cameras leaving a backpack at the scene before walking away. Shortly afterwards, several people entered the area and the explosion occurred. The suspect is reported to have fled on foot towards Beausoleil, just across the border in France, and remains at large.

Two of the injured are Ukrainian and Russian nationals
Monaco’s government confirmed around 10pm that three people had been injured, two of them seriously, according to AFP. French police identified the victims as Ukrainian and Russian nationals. Monégasque authorities have so far described the incident as an “acte malveillant“, or malicious act, and have said a terrorist motive is not currently the leading line of inquiry, though the investigation remains in its early stages.

Emergency response
A police source told BFMTV that the “plan rouge” had been triggered, a pre-established emergency protocol used in Monaco for incidents involving, or liable to involve, a significant number of casualties, allowing for a graduated escalation of resources depending on the scale of injuries. Five vehicles and 14 firefighters from the Alpes-Maritimes were also called in as reinforcements, arriving on the scene at around 10.15pm, according to the Alpes-Maritimes fire and rescue department.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.