At least five people were injured in the collapse of a four-storey building overnight from Saturday to Sunday in Marseille, but the toll could be much heavier. In 2018, two buildings in the second city of France had collapsed, sparking a wave of indignation against poor housing.
The search was still in progress this Sunday to find possible victims after the collapse of a four-storey apartment building in the center of Marseille, on the night of Saturday to Sunday. ” Last night at 12:40 a.m., the collapse of a building at 17 rue de Tivoli dragged down part of 15 and 19 rue de Tivoli. “, declared the mayor of the second city of France, Benoît Payan, to journalists on the spot.
” We must be prepared to have victims in this terrible tragedy “, declared the mayor of Marseille, specifying that several people from buildings neighboring 17 were evacuated and five injured. Rescue operations were complicated by a fire, still ongoing in the early morning.
” There are strong suspicions that an explosion caused the collapse, but we must remain very careful about the causes at this stage “, told AFP the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône region, Christophe Mirmand.
“ No danger order »
Other buildings on the street were evacuated as a safety measure on the night of the long Easter weekend and their residents were taken to a school in an emergency, regional prefect Christophe Mirmand told AFP.
An investigation is opened to determine the causes of the accident. In November 2018, the collapse in rue d’Aubagne of two buildings in another district of central Marseille, Noailles, had killed eight people and sparked a wave of indignation against poor housing in this city where 40,000 people live in slums, according to NGOs.
► To listen: When housing kills in Marseille
But both the mayor and the prefect seemed to rule out unsanitary conditions in the building in a district known for its restaurants, bars and nightlife. “ There was no danger decree for this building and it is not a district listed as having unsanitary housing. “said the prefect.
(With AFP)