Summary:
- Death toll rises to four after explosion causes building collapse in Marseille, France, with four more people unaccounted for.
- Over 100 firefighters mobilized for search and rescue operations; authorities investigate potential gas leak as the cause of the explosion.
- Marseille mayor Benoit Payan expresses grief, and approximately 200 residents evacuated from homes near the incident site.
MARSEILLE, France – A devastating explosion in the southern French city of Marseille led to a building collapse, and the death toll has now risen to four as two more bodies were recovered from the rubble.
Rescue teams continue their desperate search for four other individuals who remain unaccounted for.
Two bodies were found overnight, and now, according to a statement from the firefighters, they are trying to figure out who they were.
The Minister for Cities and Housing, Olivier Klein, informed reporters of the death toll after meeting with rescue teams on site, expressing hope that survivors may still be found.
As a result of the disaster, more than 100 firefighters have been sent to help with search and rescue efforts.
Marseille’s mayor, Benoit Payan, took to Twitter to express his grief, saying, “the pain and sorrow are great.”
Payan offered his thoughts to the victims’ families and “those who are suffering,” emphasizing that “rescue and search operations are continuing, without respite.”
The authorities are looking into what caused the explosion, and a gas leak is one of the things they are thinking about. Prosecutor Dominique Laurens discussed this possibility during a statement on Sunday evening.
The building collapse occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday in an older neighborhood in the heart of Marseille, France’s second-largest city.
The affected area is less than half a mile away from the city’s famed Old Port. In the wake of the tragedy, approximately 200 residents have been evacuated from their homes as a safety precaution.
France was shocked by the event, which brought attention to the need for better safety measures and better maintenance of older buildings in cities.
As the investigation continues, the nation mourns the lives lost and prays for the recovery of those still missing.
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTERS
