Rescue workers continued to search for missing people and used a crane to expedite the salvage work in the rubble. But a persistent fire under the rubble made it difficult to use search dogs.
In view of the difficulties, it will take a while to recover the fatalities, the fire brigade said when they reported the discovery of the two fatalities around 1:00 a.m. on Monday night. After recovery, the bodies would be identified. Eight people had previously been reported missing. They did not respond to calls, prosecutor Dominique Laurens said Sunday night.
The four-storey building in the center of Marseille collapsed on Sunday night at around 12:40 a.m. A gas explosion probably caused the collapse. Five people in neighboring houses were injured. Almost 200 people had to be evacuated from adjacent buildings.
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Residential building collapsed in Marseille: search for missing persons continues
“There is great sadness and pain that night,” said Benoît Payan, the mayor of Marseille. “We continue to do everything we can to successfully complete the rescue work,” he continued, assuring that all city and state authorities are still fully operational.
Neighboring buildings partially collapsed
The streets around the collapsed building were cordoned off following the collapse, and numerous emergency services were on the spot. Smoke was still rising from the rubble in the evening. According to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who was at the scene, it might take “several hours, maybe even longer” for the fire to be extinguished.
A neighboring building partially collapsed. Eight people who had saved themselves on a roof terrace were brought to safety with ladders. A second neighboring house was in danger of collapsing.
The French head of state Emmanuel Macron thanked the rescue workers in the short message service Twitter. Macron wrote that his thoughts are with those affected and their families.
“Huge explosion rocked room”
Witnesses described the explosion to the AFP news agency. The huge explosion shook the room in which she slept, said a resident from one of the neighboring streets. “I was woken up like I was dreaming,” she said. “We smelled a strong odor of gas very quickly, which might still be smelled until this morning.”
According to Deputy Mayor Yannick Ohanessian, residents reported the smell of gas; Surveillance cameras recorded a tremendous tremor. A gas explosion may have caused the collapse, said Laurens and the prefect of the region, Christophe Mirmand.
In November 2018, eight people died when two buildings collapsed in Marseille. Both houses were in dire need of renovation. According to the mayor and the prefect, the building that has now collapsed showed no signs of dilapidation. “We’re not dealing with a poor housing street here,” Mayor Payan said.
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