A major fire breaks out at Notre-Dame cathedral in central Paris on Monday, threatening a jewel of world heritage
The cause is not yet clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work
A pall of smoke is cast across the French capital by the roaring blaze at one of Europe's most visited attractions
The main spire of the Gothic cathedral, dating back to the 12th Century, collapses but the two bell towers are saved
President Macron cancels major TV address to go to the scene and later pledges to rebuild the cathedral
Police have been trying to keep onlookers away from the church but that has not stopped them from lining the banks of the Seine to watch the flames continue to burn.
French citizens have been openly weeping in the streets.
Image source, AFP
Image source, AFP
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Reuters
Image source, EPA
Image source, Getty ImagesThe head of the Friends of Notre-Dame charity, Michel Picaud, showed BBC Travel last week just how much repair the church had needed before the outbreak of the fire.
Pollution, acid rain and age have taken their toll, he says, pointing out dissolved statues and structurally weakened parts of the 13th Century building.
"Within 10 years" we could see a complete collapse of the iconic monument, he warned.
Watch as pieces of the building chip away at just the rub of his fingers:
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Eyewitness Travis on the fire that has broken out at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
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The Press Association reports comments made by an American university student studying in Paris, 21-year-old Ashley Huntington, who ran to the scene on hearing news of the blaze.
"You could just get close and see the smoke. The smoke is everywhere in the sky. It seems like more pieces of the scaffolding are currently falling.
"It just looks like it's out of control. I've never seen a fire in real life but the flames keep getting bigger and bigger. I don't think it's getting better at all.
"The police right now are definitely making sure the public is cleared away. We keep getting pushed further and further away."
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The BBC's Europe Regional Editor, Danny Aeberhard, says there are few sites that embody France like Notre-Dame cathedral.
"Standing on a natural island in the River Seine, in the very heart of Paris, it's a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, built mainly in the 12th and 13th centuries.
"Crowds have gathered to gape at the blaze. But the nation watches in apprehension."
Image source, ReutersThis image from 2009 shows Notre-Dame cathedral from the banks of the River Seine
Support is coming in from the UK, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan describing the scenes being broadcast from Paris as "heartbreaking".
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Penny Mordaunt, the UK's international development secretary, echoed the London mayor's comments.
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Speaking at an event in the US state of Minnesota, President Donald Trump has spoken about the ongoing fire.
"It’s burning at a level that you rarely see a fire burning," he told the audience, adding that Notre-Dame is "greater than almost any museum in the world."
"It’s very bad and it’s looking like it’s burning into the ground," he said, triggering gasps from the audience.
He called the cathedral "a part of our culture, it’s a part of our lives".
"I’ve been there," said Trump, who rose to fame as a Manhattan real estate tycoon.
"At this point they think it was caused by renovation," he said, calling the videos of the burning church "a terrible sight to behold".
The name of the character from the "Hunchback of Notre-Dame" book and the 1996 Disney cartoon film has started trending on Twitter.
Some comments are trying to make light of the fire, while others are angrily dismissing the jokes as inappropriate.
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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered her support to the people of France, calling Notre-Dame a "symbol of French and European culture".
Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign minister, also said the fire was "hitting the hearts" of the people of Germany. "Our thoughts are with all the emergency services and our French friends," he said.
Henri Astier
BBC News Online
No other site represents France quite like Notre-Dame. Its main rival as a national symbol, the Eiffel Tower, is little more than one century old.
Notre-Dame has stood tall above Paris since the 1200s.
It has given its name to one of the country's literary masterpieces. Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is known to the French simply as Notre-Dame de Paris.
The last time the cathedral suffered major damage was during the French Revolution. It survived two world wars largely unscathed.
Watching such an embodiment of the permanence of a nation burn and its spire collapse is profoundly shocking to any French person.
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