Car torchings drop in France
2005-11-13 11:01
Paris - The number of cars torched in France dropped by a quarter overnight, with 374 vehicles burned nationwide in a 17th night of unrest, police said on Sunday.
The previous night, 502 cars were burned across France. In Paris, where police had been on high alert for Saturday night unrest, there was only incident - a fire set at a gas station, National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said.
In the Ile-de-France region, which comprises Paris and its suburbs, about 76 cars were burned, compared to 86 the night earlier.
"That's almost a normal number" for a Saturday night, Gaudin said. Car-torchings are a fact of life in France's tough suburbs.
Around the country, police took 212 people into custody overnight, Gaudin said.
- AP