PARIS (Reuters) -The French finance and economy ministry in Paris was partially evacuated briefly on Thursday following a false bomb alert, but staff are now returning to work, a police official said.

       The alert and evacuation took place while French President Emmanuel Macron was presenting his election programme to French and international reporters in another part of Paris.

       "A bomb alert for the finance ministry was received and a partial evacuation ordered. Investigations have shown that it was a false alert and staff are now returning to work," a police official said.

       BFM television reported that around 20 people had been evacuated.

       (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Leigh Thomas and Geert De Clercq)