Move FM Global News

MARSEILLE, France: A building exploded and collapsed over the weekend near the port of Marseille, leaving six people dead and two missing amidst mounds of burning debris.

More than 100 firefighters worked against the clock to extinguish flames deep within the rubble of the five-story building, but more than 17 hours later “the situation is not yet stabilized,” Marseille Prosecutor Dominique Laurens said at an evening news conference.

Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan said two buildings that share walls with the one that collapsed were partially brought down before one later caved in, resulting in another complication in the search and rescue operation.

Drones and probes have been used to examine the scene for signs of life.

A gas explosion was among the tracks to check, said Laurens. But a start of the probe also was limited by the heat of the blaze.

Laurens said that firefighters “are really in a complicated situation, dangerous for them.” Work is progressing but with safety precautions, she said.

“We heard an explosion … a very strong explosion which made us jump, and that’s it,” said Marie Ciret, who was among those evacuated. “We looked outside the window at what was happening. We saw smoke, stones, and people running,” as reported by the Associated Press.

The building that collapsed is located on a narrow street less than a kilometer from Marseille’s iconic old port, adding to an array of difficulties for firefighters and rescue workers. The prosecutor said the building and those next door “are not at all substandard buildings.”

“We’re trying to drown the fire while preserving the lives of eventual victims under the rubble,” Lionel Mathieu, commander of the Marseille fire brigade, said during a televised briefing.

The collapsed building is located in an old quarter in the center of France’s second-largest city. The noise from the explosion resounded in other neighborhoods. Nearby streets were blocked off.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne both tweeted their concerns for people affected and thanks to the firefighters.