Firefighters work after a building collapse in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, April 9, 2023. , Photo Credit: AP
Ten people may be trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed after an explosion in the French port city of Marseille, the French interior minister said, but rescue efforts were hampered by a fire burning inside the rubble.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said authorities had determined that at least four people lived in the building.
He said it was not yet known whether anyone died in the fall or explosion or what caused the blast.
Mr Darmanin, who visited the site, provided the update just before 1am, nearly 11 hours after the five-storey building collapsed. More than 100 firefighters, aided by experts, worked through the night to reach and extinguish the blaze, which the minister said was burning a few meters (feet) under the rubble.
The delicate operation proceeded with the aim of keeping firefighters safe, preventing further damage to people potentially trapped under the rubble, and not compromising nearby vulnerable buildings.
Mr. Darmanin said that about 30 buildings in the area have been evacuated.
The building that collapsed is located in a narrow street in the center of Marseille, adding to the difficulties for firefighters and rescue workers.
The intense heat made it impossible to send dog teams to search. Robots were reportedly being deployed.
Firefighters gather near a street where a building collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Marseille, southern France. , Photo Credit: AP
Marseille mayor Benoît Payen said two buildings it shared with the collapsed walls were partially brought down and one later caved in.
It was one of the structures evacuated. Six people were admitted to the hospital.
“We are trying to extinguish the fire while preserving the lives of the last victims under the rubble,” Marseille fire brigade commander Lionel Mathieu said during a televised briefing.
“Firefighters are looking minute by minute to find the best way to put out the fire,” said Mayor Mr. Payne.
“We must be prepared to suffer,” he said grimly.
Payne said the “likely” cause of the building’s collapse was an explosion, but later insisted that “no conclusions can be drawn” without further investigation.
The crumbling building is located in an old quarter in the center of France’s second largest city. The sound of the explosion echoed in other neighborhoods. The surrounding roads were blocked.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne both tweeted their thoughts for those affected and thanked firefighters.