One Month Later: Appraisals Delay Compensation for Victims of Tragic Marseille Collapse on Rue de Tivoli

Appraisals are still in progress on the buildings on the street, which is delaying the process of compensating the victims.

The rue de Tivoli still shocked. One month to the day after the collapse of numbers 17 and 15, the district remains marked by the tragedy which cost the lives of eight inhabitants.

“It’s still something that marked everyone in the neighborhood, and it will remain, I think, for a little while like that,” said Nathan, the neighborhood butcher, at the microphone of BFM Marseille Provence. “Because everyone knows each other, everyone crosses paths.”

Victims still not compensated

In the rue de Tivoli, the traces of the collapses are still very present. At number 19, props were installed to consolidate the structure and a tarpaulin placed over the collapsed part of the building.

Of the 302 residents evacuated from 43 buildings in the neighborhood, 138 were able to return to their homes at the end of April. Inside the security perimeter, the device has been considerably reduced and now only concerns the streets of Tivoli and Abbé-de-l’Épée, where eight security guards still take turns night and day.

Despite everything, appraisals are still in progress on the buildings on the street. The city of Marseille has also requested “three separate studies which are still in progress in order to analyze the building safety of the buildings one by one”.

But this process delays the compensation of the victims with their insurance.

“Even when there is a legal framework, insurance is extremely complicated to obtain compensation when there is a tragedy. We have seen it with rue d’Aubagne”, explains Kaouther Ben Mohamed, from the collective “Marseille angry “. “We will put pressure on the State and on the National Insurance Federation, because it is first of all that we must face up to its responsibilities.”

For a month, the Vallier gymnasium was responsible for welcoming and supporting the victims in their efforts. But since May 2, families must now go to 47 rue Chape. The “Tivoli 9 April” collective should meet the mayor this Friday.

An open judicial inquiry

On April 28, a judicial investigation was opened by the Marseille prosecutor’s office against “unnamed person”, counts “involuntary homicides and injuries”.

Entrusted to several investigating judges, it must determine whether the gas explosion which caused the collapse of number 17, then of number 15, is the result of clumsiness, imprudence, inattention, negligence or breach of duty of safety.

The son of one of the victims of the collapses had notably filed a complaint for manslaughter.

“The resident on the first floor was an elderly person whom I knew and loved very much, who was becoming senile, and who unfortunately woke up at night, cooked himself food and forgot the gas was on,” the former police officer told BFM TV.

For his part, Philippe, nephew of the resident in question, said he was convinced that the origin of the explosion was not attributable to his aunt. “Once she had forgotten a saucepan on the stove. From there, we said to ourselves that there would be no second time, we had everything removed. The problem comes from elsewhere, it does not come from not from there”, he had assured.

The funeral of the young couple on Saturday

This Saturday will be the funeral of Marion and Michael, the two youngest victims of the collapses. The couple worked for a digital expertise company in Aix-en-Provence.

In the columns of Provence, a close friend of Marion evokes “someone bright, solar, always positive, caring”. Michael’s sister describes her brother as her “model of life, the one who soothes and advises”.

The funeral of Marion and Michael will take place in the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul church, also called “Les Réformés”. A burning chapel will be set up the day before in the Saint-Michel-l’Archange church, in the 5th arrondissement, so that the Marseillais can gather.