In the night from Sunday to Monday, the fire brigade found the bodies of two people in the rubble of an apartment building that collapsed this weekend in the southern French city of Marseille, AFP news agency reports. But given the “difficult circumstances”, according to the fire service, it will take some time to recover the bodies. “The pain is great this night,” said mayor Benoît Payan on the discovery of the bodies.
The four-storey building collapsed after a powerful explosion on the night from Saturday to Sunday. It was possibly caused by a gas leak, but that cannot yet be confirmed. It is unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the explosion.
More than 180 people have been evacuated, including from nearby buildings. At least five people in the area were injured in the explosion. On Sunday afternoon, authorities announced that at least eight people were still missing. Mayor Payan said there was a good chance there were survivors under the rubble, but also warned that fatalities should be expected.
The rescue operation was extremely difficult on Sunday morning, because a fire broke out between the debris. It was therefore difficult for rescuers to enter the ruin and sniffer dogs could not be used. Later in the day the dogs were able to get to work, but the burning smell and still high temperatures prevented results at first.