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Roughly 13 people are reported to be injured after a 'parcel bomb' filled with nails, screws and bolts exploded in a city street in Lyon.

A man hunt for the bomber is underway with police suspecting a terrorist motive.

An eight-year-old girl is among those injured, according to French media. The centre of the city has been locked down by police.

The package was dropped off by a man on a bicycle two minutes before the explosion.

A police source told Agence France-Presse that the parcel bomb contained "screws or bolts" and was placed in front of a bakery at the corner of two streets near Place Bellecour, in the heart of the city.

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The suspected bomber had his head covered and was wearing dark glasses, but was caught on CCTV, police union spokesman Alain Bardelis confirmed.

"He was wearing a dark top and Bermuda shorts," the officer added. "Municipal cameras would have caught him on his bike."

A local woman said the horrific blast happened outside her home where she had been standing ten minutes before.

She tweeted: "I am going to throw up. The explosion in the street, I spent 10 minutes before.

"It's literally the foot of my house. I share my trash with this golden brioche."

The package which detonated is reported to have been placed in the street before exploding.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

"Anti terrorist officers are at the scene along with other police," said spokesman for the local emergency services.

"A man in his mid 30s was seen placing a possible parcel bomb, and a hunt has been launched to try and find him."

A shopkeeper more than 200 metres from the explosion said: "I heard a big boom, I wondered what it was. I went out."

The owner of a hotel said the noise was 'impressive' and that he saw "metal plates on the floor as a kind of circuit board and scattered papers".

He added: "We saw a very panicked woman and a man with a bleeding leg taking refuge in a clothing business."

(Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

The blast is thought to have happened at about 5.30pm local time.

A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said the current suspicion was that the blast was caused by a parcel bomb.

Kamel Amerouche, the regional authority's communications chief, said the casualties, including an eight-year-old girl who suffered leg wounds, had only minor injures.

French President Emmanuel Macron interrupted a TV interview to say: ‘There’s been a bomb attack in Lyon, there are injuries’.

No one is believed to have died.