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Paris (CNN) Four to 10 people are believed to have been trapped under rubble after a building collapsed in the southern French port city of Marseille, according to French authorities.
A “fierce explosion” around 12:30 a.m. local time is believed to be the cause of the collapse, according to Marseille mayor Benoît Payan. Investigation is ongoing.
Rescuers told CNN affiliate BFMTV that 80 people had already been evacuated.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told the BFM during a visit to the site that the work was complicated by dangerous conditions on the ground, including having to clear debris before the fire could be completely extinguished.
Rescuers are also concerned that firefighting water is endangering the lives of buried victims, Darmanin said.
Up to 10 people remain trapped under the rubble.
Locals described hearing a large amount of dust and an explosion with the smell of gas in the air.
“It was exhausting and completely insane. I started running like crazy after seeing an avalanche of people panicking in the street,” an unnamed witness told BFM. Told.
According to Darmanin, about 30 of the surrounding buildings have also been evacuated.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday his thoughts are with those affected. “My thoughts go out to Marseille, where a building on rue de Tivoli collapsed last night. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. We are deploying critical resources to continue the investigation. and thank you to the rescue team,” he said.
Locals described hearing a loud explosion early on Sunday.
A fund of 100,000 euros ($110,000) was provided to help victims of the blast, according to the Aix-Marseille Provence metropolitan area, with the funds coming from local authorities, BFMTV reported.
BFMTV also reports that the Marseille prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into “accidental injuries”.
Marseille has suffered such incidents before. In 2018, CNN reported that at least four of her people were killed when multiple buildings collapsed in the city’s Noailles neighborhood.
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