A residential building in France's port city of Marseille collapsed in a loud explosion early Sunday followed by a fire deep within the rubble that hindered rescue efforts.
More than six hours after the collapse of the five-storey building, it was not known if anyone was killed. The Guardian reported at least five people have suffered injuries in the collapse and the city Mayor said they should be prepared to have fatalities in this terrible tragedy.
More than 100 firefighters were trying to put out blazes under huge piles of rubble in a slow and delicate operation aimed at trying not to harm people potentially trapped. According to reports, authorities are still unclear about total number of people inside the block.
Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan said two neighbouring buildings were partially brought down and one was in danger of collapsing, creating a double challenge. “Firefighters are gauging minute by minute the best way to put out the fire,” the mayor said at a televised briefing. “The lives of firefighters are also at play,” he said.
The noise from the explosion shortly before 1am, resounded in other neighbourhoods. Nearby streets were blocked off.
“Residents of neighbouring buildings were evacuated and six were hospitalized,” Payan said.
The collapsed building is located in an old quarter in the centre of France's second-largest city.
“We are trying to drown the fire while preserving the lives of eventual victims under the rubble,” said Lionel Mathieu, commander of the Marseille fire brigade. “The intense heat made it impossible to send in dog teams to search,” he added.
The mayor said that an explosion was the probable cause of the building collapse, but stressed that an investigation would ultimately determine the cause. “We must prepare to have victims,” Payan said grimly.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin was expected at the scene later Sunday.
The Guardian reported that in 2018, eight got killed in Marseille when two dilapidated buildings in the working-class district of Noailles caved in.
(With PTI inputs.)