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MARSEILLE, France — Eight individuals had been lacking after the constructing they lived in collapsed in an explosion early Sunday close to the port of Marseille, leaving mounds of burning particles that had been hampering rescue operations, officers mentioned.
Greater than 100 firefighters labored by way of the day to extinguish flames deep inside the rubble of the five-story constructing, however greater than 17 hours later the scenario was “not but stabilized,” the Marseille prosecutor, Dominique Laurens, mentioned at a information convention on Sunday night.
The reason for the blast was not instantly clear. Ms. Laurens mentioned a fuel explosion was a risk.
The constructing that collapsed was on a slender avenue in central Marseille, lower than half a mile from town’s iconic outdated port. Some 30 buildings within the space had been evacuated, mentioned Inside Minister Gerald Darmanin, who visited the location.
The noise from the explosion, which occurred shortly earlier than 1 a.m., resounded in different neighborhoods. Close by streets had been blocked off.
Marie Ciret, one of many individuals evacuated, mentioned she had heard “a really sturdy explosion which made us leap.” She regarded outdoors and “noticed smoke, stones, and other people working.”
Marseille’s mayor, Benoit Payan, mentioned two buildings that shared partitions with the one which collapsed had been partially introduced down, with one later caving in.
Officers described the rescue operation as a fragile one, meant to maintain firefighters secure, stop additional hurt to individuals probably trapped within the rubble and never compromise weak buildings close by, together with those that had partly collapsed. Ms. Laurens, the prosecutor, mentioned the firefighters had been “actually in a sophisticated scenario, harmful for them.”
“We’re making an attempt to drown the fireplace whereas preserving the lives of eventual victims underneath the rubble,” Lionel Mathieu, the commander of the Marseille hearth brigade, mentioned throughout a televised briefing.
Ms. Laurens mentioned the police had but to verify the obvious disappearance of a ninth one that lived in a constructing subsequent to the one which collapsed. 5 individuals had been identified to have suffered minor accidents from the collapse.
Drones and probes had been getting used to look at the scene for indicators of life. The burning particles was too scorching for the firefighters’ canine workforce to work till Sunday afternoon, Ms. Laurens mentioned.
A crane was introduced in to clear rubble. At one level, firefighters might be seen in TV footage hosing components of the particles from a window in a close-by condominium constructing as plumes of smoke rose skyward.
“Firefighters are gauging minute by minute the easiest way to place out the fireplace,” Mr. Payan, the mayor, mentioned.
“We should put together ourselves to have victims,” he mentioned.
In 2018, two buildings within the heart of Marseille collapsed, killing eight individuals. These buildings had been poorly maintained, however that was not true of the constructing that collapsed on Sunday, the inside minister mentioned.
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