Nearly 800 cubic meters of rubble have been cleared from the site of Sunday’s building collapses in rue de Tivoli, Marseille, but the search for victims continues. “There is still as much to remove,” said Admiral Guy from the Marine Firefighters of Marseille. Emergency services are working to ensure that the fire from the incident is completely out. Of the six bodies recovered on Monday, four have been identified. Many residents of the area have donated clothes and other essentials to the town hall of the 4th and 5th arrondissements for those affected. Research continues, supported by around 120 firefighters and 15 firefighters.
800m3 of rubble removed
800m3 of rubble were removed from the site of the collapses of the rue de Tivoli according to Admiral Guy, marine firefighters from Marseille. He estimates that there is still as much to remove.
The emergency services are currently working to verify that the fire is no longer residual, as was the case yesterday, but indeed extinguished, he also indicates.
“The balance sheet has not changed”
“The balance sheet did not change last night” assures Commander Laurent, head of relief operations, at the microphone of BFMTV.
“We always work with the hope of having a miracle. There are always pockets of survival that are created. It is certain that the more time passes, the more hope will dwindle”, he said. he adds.
More than 100 emergency personnel remain committed to the scene of the tragedy. “We ensure that our staff take turns regularly. We are still in a complex area. We are very, very vigilant in relation to the two buildings”, which threaten to collapse.
Research continues.
Four victims identified
Among the six bodies extracted from the rubble on Monday, four have been identified, learned BFMTV.
They are Jacky and Anne-Marie, Antonietta and Nicole.
More information here.
Donations received at the town hall of the 4th and 5th arrondissements
The emotion is still strong in Marseille, where solidarity is nevertheless organized. Collections of condolences have been made available to residents in the sector town hall of the 4th and 5th arrondissements.
The town hall also centralizes spontaneous donations from Marseillais, who drop off clothes, basic necessities and even school supplies.
“Donations keep coming, there is a great outpouring of solidarity,” says Catherine, an employee of the town hall, at the microphone of BFMTV.
How do the experts conduct their investigation?
In order to determine the circumstances of the tragedy, a judicial police investigation is underway. If the latter began immediately following the first collapse, experts have only been able to access the site sporadically since Monday.
Priority is given to relief, which continues to search for possible survivors in the rubble. Clearing is also continuing and the stones will be analyzed.
The hope of finding survivors “is dwindling”, regrets Samia Ghali
Despite the relentless search for relief, which has been working for more than 48 hours, it is less and less likely to find survivors in the rubble of rue de Tivoli, regrets Samia Ghali, deputy mayor of Marseille.
“Hope, unfortunately, is dwindling, you have to be honest. It’s been too many hours now,” she regretted at the microphone of BFM Marseille Provence.
“Marseille’s firefighters are doing their best, they are still clearing away, they have never stopped. However, the situation is dramatic,” she added.
Why the collapses of rue de Tivoli and rue d’Aubagne are different
The collapses of the rue de Tivoli have awakened the painful memory of the drama of the rue d’Aubagne where, on November 5, 2018, a dilapidated building collapsed, causing the death of eight people.
While the forensic experts were finally able to go to the site and begin their work – they were prevented from doing so until then by the fire which smoldered under the rubble – the collapses of the rue de Tivoli have nothing to do with that of the rue d’Aubagne, since the building at number 17 was well maintained.
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Several lanes closed to traffic around the rue de Tivoli
A security perimeter has been set up by the municipality around the rue de Tivoli. Consequently, several lanes are still closed to traffic in the 5th arrondissement.
The City also announced last night that it would take care of the recovery of vehicles from residents of the sector but also of the management of impound fees and fines in the event of incorrect parking if necessary.
Who are the inhabitants of 17 rue de Tivoli?
Eight people lived at number 17 rue de Tivoli: three couples and two single women. They are, for now, still missing.
Among them, Anne-Marie and Jacky, aged 72 and 74 respectively, Antonietta, 88, Anna and Jacky, 82 and 86, Nicole, 66, as well as Marion and Michael, 31 and 28. All were known in the neighborhood.
For now, six bodies have been found by the firefighters, they are being identified by the technical and scientific police.
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Rescuers still at work this Tuesday morning
More than 48 hours following the collapse of the building at 17 rue de Tivoli, then number 15, in the 5th arrondissement of Marseille, 120 firefighters and around fifteen firefighters are still hard at work this morning.
Two people are missing, while six bodies were extracted from the rubble on Monday. Residents and authorities still harbor the hope of finding survivors in the rubble.
The experts were also able to access the site and begin investigations into the causes of the tragedy.
“I’m lucky to be alive”: a resident of the affected neighborhood testifies to the explosion in Marseille
Florence says to herself today that “life is priceless”. This resident of the Marseille district where a building collapsed following of an explosion in the night from Saturday to Sunday passed rue de Tivoli shortly before the tragedy.
“At 12:32 a.m. I was in rue Tivoli, in front of the garbage container, in front of the building” affected by the explosion, she explained on Monday at the microphone of BFMTV. She can precisely date her passage because she sent a message at this precise moment. It is at 00:49 that the explosion blew 17, rue de Tivoli and partially destroyed the neighboring buildings, according to the town hall of Marseilles. The origin of the explosion is not yet known.
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Sixth body found
A sixth body was found by rescuers on Monday in the rubble of the building which collapsed in the center of Marseille following a violent explosion on Sunday, the prosecution said in the evening.
“Identification operations are continuing” for the victims already found, the prosecution said in a press release, while two missing might still be found under the rubble where the rescuers are continuing their search.
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Hello everyone
Welcome to this direct dedicated to following the news related to the collapse of a building in the center of Marseille.
The search for survivors and clearing of rubble continues as the tragic collapse of a building in Marseille enters its third day. While the hope of finding survivors dwindles, emergency personnel remain committed to the scene and collections of condolences and donations pour in from the community. As investigations into the tragedy continue, six bodies have been found and four have been identified. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event.
