The assessment of the collapsed building in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) becomes dramatic. To the six people injured and the dozens of evacuees are now added at least two bodies found under the rubble. The emergency services relentlessly search the scene in search of other missing persons.
“This night the pain and the pain are great”, reacted the mayor of the second city of France, Benoît Payan this Monday around 2 am, when the marine-firefighters announced that they had found two lifeless bodies in the rubble of the apartment building at 17, rue de Tivoli. No information was given on the identity of the victims.
“The judicial police are continuing their work, as are the medical services. We cannot make an announcement without being sure of what we are moving forward, ”said the elected official on Monday, adding that details would be provided in the morning. Benoît Payan, spoke on Monday of a “surgical work”, carried out “stone by stone”. “There is still hope” to find “possible survivors”, he further argued.
eight people missing
The prosecutor of the Republic of Marseille Dominique Laurens had indicated Sunday evening that the help was still looking for eight people presumed missing, who did not respond to “any call” from their relatives. They would now be only six or seven: the prosecutor had also mentioned Sunday a ninth person “who would currently be sought at 19, rue de Tivoli”. They are “people of a certain age and a young couple in their thirties”, but there would be no children or minors, Dominique Laurens had specified.
The departmental prefecture indicated that “there are strong suspicions that an explosion caused the collapse”. Gas could be “a possible option”. According to our information, it is indeed the track of an explosion due to the gas which is favored by the investigators.
The fire “is not yet completely extinguished”
The progress of the rescue operations is complicated by a fire that broke out in the wake of the collapse. The area of intervention always proves to be perilous. And for good reason, the fire “is not yet completely extinguished” and “the virulence of the fire can resume at any time”, warned Benoît Payan. Similarly, neighboring buildings are particularly “weakened”. “But as long as there is hope, we don’t stop,” he added. Relief operations could still last “several days”, warned Vice-Admiral Lionel Mathieu.
A fire commander in charge of operations explained that not all the apartments were occupied, which should limit the final death toll. An investigation is opened for “involuntary injuries”, in order to determine the causes of the tragedy. The track of the insalubrity of the site would be ruled out for the moment.