Two bodies found after Marseille building destroyed in explosion

Local authorities said six people remain unaccounted for after the blast in the La Plaine neighbourhood
FRANCE-ACCIDENT-BUILDING
AFP via Getty Images
Miriam Burrell10 April 2023

Two bodies have been found after a building collapsed following an explosion in Marseille.

Local authorities said six people remain unaccounted for after the blast in the La Plaine neighbourhood just after midnight on Saturday.

Five people were taken to hospital and scores of residents were evacuated when the building collapsed.

The city prosecutor’s office said early reports indicated that an explosion preceded the collapse - but its cause has not been confirmed.

More than 100 firefighters worked to extinguish a fire deep within the rubble of the five-storey building, but more than 17 hours later “the situation is not yet stabilised”, Marseille prosecutor Dominique Laurens had told reporters.

Five people suffered minor injuries from the collapse.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan said two buildings that share walls with the one that collapsed were partially brought down before one later caved in, another complication in the search and rescue operation.

The buildings were among evacuated structures. Drones and probes have been used to examine the scene for signs of life.

“We cannot intervene in a very classic way,” interior minister Gerald Darmanin said during a morning visit to the site.

He added that the fire was burning a few metres under the mounds of debris and that both water and foam represent a danger to victims’ survival.

TOPSHOT-FRANCE-ACCIDENT-BUILDING
AFP via Getty Images

A gas explosion is among one of the theories being explored, Ms Laurens, the prosecutor said. But the start of the probe also was limited by the heat of the blaze.

“The flames weren’t pink. They were blue,” Mr Payan said.

Firefighters, with the help of urban rescue experts, worked through the night and all day on Sunday.

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.

Some 30 buildings in the area were evacuated, Mr Darmanin said.

The building that collapsed is located on a narrow street half a mile from Marseille’s old port, adding to an array of difficulties for firefighters and rescue workers. The prosecutor said the building and those next door “are not at all substandard buildings”.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne both said in tweets that their thoughts were with people affected, and gave their thanks to the firefighters.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in