Seven people have been injured after an explosion on a busy street in the French city of Lyon.

It was reported that a small package exploded and French President Emmanuel Macron called it an “attack” during a live interview about the European Parliament elections.

Kamel Amerouche, the regional authority’s communications chief, said the victims had leg injuries that were not life-threatening.

France Explosion
Soldiers patrol the street following the blast (Sebastien Erome/AP)

He said the explosion occurred in or outside a store of the bakery chain, Brioche Doree, and the area had been cordoned off by police.

The central area, the Presqu’ile, lies between the Rhone and Saone rivers that run through France’s third-largest city.

Mr Macron confirmed there were no fatalities and sent his thoughts “to the injured and their families”.

The women’s World Cup football tournament is scheduled to start in Lyon on June 7.