A residential building collapsed in the center of the French port city of Marseille during the night. A fire prevents the rescue workers from looking for possible victims in the rubble, said Mayor Benoît Payan. The two adjacent buildings were also damaged. A gas explosion may have caused the collapse, said the region’s prefect, Christophe Mirmand, to the AFP news agency.
The streets around the collapsed building were cordoned off, as reported by an AFP photographer. Numerous emergency services were on site. According to Payans, eleven residents were brought to safety from the two houses next to the collapsed building. There are two injured. As a precaution, other houses in the street were also evacuated. Emergency accommodation was set up in a school for the residents.
In November 2018, eight people died when two buildings collapsed in Marseille. Both houses were in dire need of renovation.
