A building in Marseille, France, collapsed in flames on Monday, leaving at least eight people missing and emergency crews scrambling to rescue any survivors. The incident has shocked the French port city and reignited concerns about the safety of old structures in the city center. As rescue teams search for signs of life amid the wreckage, the cause of the building’s collapse remains unknown, but officials are investigating whether it was due to structural issues or a gas explosion. This is a developing story with updates expected in the coming hours.
The port of Marseille was rocked by an explosion and subsequent building collapse which left eight people missing. More than 100 firefighters battled to extinguish flames from within the rubble of the five-story-building, but 17 hours later the situation had not been stabilized, Marseille prosecutor Dominique Laurens said. During the search and rescue operation, drones and probes were used to examine the scene for any signs of life but with little success.
Earlier in the day, between four and ten people were thought to be trapped after the building collapsed before officials raised it to nine. Five people were also injured during the collapse, but their injuries were recorded as minor.
The situation was complicated by the two buildings which shared a wall with the collapsed building which were both partially brought down, with one later collapsing entirely. It is unclear the extent of the damage caused by the further building collapse.
Drones and probes were used to examine the scene for any signs of life. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said during a morning visit to the scene that “we cannot intervene in a very classic way,” and that “the fire was burning a few metres under the mounds of debris and that both water and foam represent [a] danger to victim’s survival.”
The cause of the explosion is yet to be confirmed, but it is among one of the theories being explored. Laurens said that the start of the investigation was limited due to the heat of the fire. The buildings were among those evacuated and were not deemed as substandard at the time of the collapse.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne both expressed their condolences in tweets and thanked the firefighters. Over 30 buildings in the area were evacuated, and no further news had emerged on the status of the eight missing individuals as of this writing.
