Probe launched to ascertain cause behind building collapse in Marseille
Five women and three men, most aged between 66 and 89 but including a couple aged 29 and 31, are known to have been in the building when it fell
Rescue personnel work at the scene where a building collapsed in the southern French port city of Marseille early on April 9, 2023. AFP
Marseille: With rescue operations still underway, authorities are still not able to find two people after a residential building in the French city of Marseille collapsed on Sunday.
Authorities have now launched a probe to understand the cause of the blast that led to the building’s collapse. So far, rescuers have recovered six bodies.
A fire service spokesman told AFP, “The toll is unchanged and operations are continuing.”
Mayor Benoit Payan said on Monday that the building collapsed on Sunday at 12:40 am (2240 GMT), damaging parts of two buildings in its surrounding.
Five women and three men, most aged between 66 and 89 but including a couple aged 29 and 31, are known to have been in the building when it fell.
“It would be a miracle to find any survivors but we have faith,” said a priest, Father Olivier, at a Monday prayer vigil in the nearby Saint Michel church.
Currently, police and forensic experts are trying to identify the bodies that have been retrieved so far.
As well as 22 forensics officers, 18 detectives are on the scene sifting for evidence. Authorities are yet to give any preferred theory of what happened.
The streets around the collapsed building have been cordoned off and choked with dust. Firefighters could be seen attempting to work their way through the building debris.
With inputs from agencies
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