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APs
MARSEILLE, France — Two bodies were found in the rubble in the middle of the night after an explosion that collapsed a building in the southern French city of Marseille, and rescuers continued to search for at least six people missing, officials say. said on Monday.
Firefighters said in a statement that it was “particularly difficult to intervene” and that law enforcement would proceed to identify victims.
Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan tweeted on Monday that “the pain and grief is great”. He shared his thoughts with the families of the victims and the “suffering”.
“Rescue and search operations continue without a break,” he said.
Payan told French media that more than 100 firefighters at the scene were searching for at least six people believed to be trapped in the five-story residential building. “There is still hope” to find survivors, he said.
Lawrence said the burning debris was still plagued with smoke as it was too hot for the dogs of the firefighter’s canine team to work until Sunday afternoon.
An investigation into involuntary injury has been launched, at least initially avoiding the possibility of a crime. The prosecutor added that a gas explosion was among the means of investigation.
The collapse occurred just before 1 a.m. on Sunday in the old town in the heart of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, less than a kilometer (0.5 mi) from the iconic Old Port. About 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area.
In 2018, two buildings collapsed in central Marseille, killing eight people. The interior minister said those buildings were poorly maintained and that was not the case with the buildings that collapsed on Sunday.
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