Fire and Fear: The deadly building explosion in France's Marseille
An apartment building collapsed after a major explosion on Sunday in Marseille, a city on the French Mediterranean coast. Four bodies have been recovered and rescue efforts are still on
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Two bodies were found on Monday in the rubble following an explosion that collapsed a building in the southern French city of Marseille, bringing the confirmed death toll to four as rescuers continue searching for four more people who are unaccounted for. AFP
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The collapse occurred shortly before 1 am on Sunday, in an old quarter in the centre of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, less than a kilometre (a half-mile) from its iconic old port. About 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area. AFP
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An investigation has been opened for involuntary injury, at least initially sidestepping possible criminal intentions. A gas explosion was among the avenues of investigation, prosecutor Dominique Laurens said Sunday evening. AFP
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Firefighters, with the help of urban rescue experts, worked through the night and all day on Sunday in a slow race against time. The delicate operation aimed to keep firefighters safe, prevent further harm to people potentially trapped in the rubble and not compromise vulnerable buildings nearby, already partially collapsed. AP
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Two other bodies had previously been found overnight. The judicial authority will proceed to identify the victims, firefighters said in a statement. More than 100 firefighters were mobilised for the searches. AFP
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“The hope to find survivors is still there," Minister for Cities and Housing Olivier Klein told reporters. “It is very meticulous work done by firefighters,” he added, noting the risk for adjacent buildings to collapse. AFP
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Marseille mayor Benoit Payan tweeted Monday that “the pain and sorrow are great." He expressed his thoughts for the families of the victims and “those who are suffering.” “Rescue and search operations are continuing, without respite,” he said. AFP
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“We heard an explosion … a very strong explosion which made us jump, and that’s it,” said Marie Ciret, who was among those evacuated. “We looked outside the window at what was happening. We saw smoke, stones, and people running.” AFP
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France’s president Emmanuel Macron and prime minister Elisabeth Borne both tweeted their thoughts for people affected and thanks to the firefighters. AFP
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In 2018, two buildings in the centre of Marseille collapsed, killing eight people. Those buildings were poorly maintained — not the case with the building that collapsed Sunday, the interior minister said. AFP
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