Devil' Scare Causes 11 People to Fall From Window of Paris Apartment

PARIS (AP) — Eleven people, including several children, were injured when they jumped from the third-story window of a suburban Paris apartment building Saturday, an official said.

It wasn't known if they jumped on purpose or were forced to, the judicial official said. There was no emergency in the building at the time, such as a fire.

The victims are of African origin, possibly from Angola, and an initial investigation suggested they jumped after one of the women involved became hysterical and started shouting she'd seen the devil, the official said.

Two members of the group — a 30-year-old man and a man with a criminal record who jumped out of the window holding a 2-year-old — have been taken into police custody, the official said on condition of anonymity in keeping with her job's regulations.

All 11 victims were hospitalized with multiple traumas. No life-threatening injuries were reported, although a 4-month-old infant was been admitted to a Paris children's hospital in serious condition, the official said.

The apartment building is located in the Paris suburb of La Verriere.