A total of eight people remain missing after the collapse of a building in the center of Marseille last night due to an explosion, as reported by the French Prosecutor’s Office
"Eight people do not answer calls and are located at 17 Tivoli street. One of them is located on a garden level, between numbers 15 and 17"explained the prosecutor Dominique Laurens, according to the French press.
The victims would be "people of a certain age and a young couple in their 30s"Laurens recounted at a press conference reported by the local newspaper ‘La Provence’.
The prosecutor has indicated that at the moment the causes of the explosion that caused the collapse are unknown. "The expert has not yet been able to access the place due to the risk involved, since the situation has not yet stabilized. There are still very hot areas"has explained.
A neighbor in the area has reported that he could hear "a big explosion" and that when he approached the area he could see "a lot of dust" and "smell" gas.
The fire has not yet been extinguished, which makes it difficult to search for possible survivors, the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, had previously reported, displaced to the scene of the incident.
Meanwhile, the authorities have evacuated 199 people from the adjoining homes, of which 99 are already in the Vallier gym, according to the BFMTV network. There have been a total of 32 buildings evacuated and 163 people who have received health care.
"There is no one in danger of death"Darmanin has highlighted. "About thirty buildings are affected by evictions", has added. The flames while they are still active under the rubble. "We must check the ability we have to control and turn it off. It will probably take several more hours (…). maybe even more"has indicated.
More than a hundred firefighters continue to work to put out the flames in the two collapsed buildings. Numbers 15 and 17 of Tivoli Street have collapsed and "the 19th also threatens to sink"explained the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan.
On the other hand, Payan has reiterated the difficulty of the operation. "We are facing an extremely rare phenomenon of persistent fire for several hours and at very high temperatures. The dogs (trained in search of survivors) are unable to look, to see, to feel what is happening"has explained.
According to the Minister of the Interior, the building was "in very good condition" and it was not being investigated, the mayor has highlighted. In addition, Payan has highlighted that there was a "tremendous explosion".
A spokesperson for Civil Security, Colonel Arnaud Wilm, reported after hours of work that "the fire slows down"what is it about "gradually decreasing in intensity"which will allow rescuers to get close to the rubble and use "robotic machines".
Plus now firefighters can "direct the water sparingly towards the heart of the chimney" thanks to this decrease in the intensity of the flames.