A four-story building collapsed in the night between Saturday and Sunday, around half past midnight, in the center of Marseille, on rue de Tivoli in the La Plaine district. Emergency services are on site. Witnesses speak of a strong explosion that brought down an entire building. “It was huge like an explosion,” he told theAfp Gilles, who lives on a street perpendicular to that of the collapsed building.
The streets around the building are cordoned off. The security perimeter is large due to the risk of collapse of the surrounding buildings. Rubble has filled the street. The authorities recommend avoiding the area in order not to hinder the rescue work.
At the moment there are no reports of victims. But after the collapse a fire broke out under the rubble that the firefighters are putting out. The flames prevent the search for any victims, as Mayor Benoit Payan explained to reporters on the spot. “Last night at 12:40, a building at 17 rue de Tivoli collapsed – said the mayor – causing part of the buildings at 15 and 19 rue de Tivoli to fall. There is currently a fire in the rubble of 17, this fire prevents us from sending the dogs and teams in search of possible victims who would be under the rubble».
The buildings adjacent to the one that came down were evacuated as a safety measure: “Eleven people have been evacuated – the mayor specified -: two people are in relative emergency, nine people are unharmed, including two children”.
Firefighters have not provided any information on the reasons for the explosion. But residents of the area said they smelled a strong smell of gas. “We have a hundred men on the ground, the priority is obviously to put out the fire and clear the rubble to find people who could be trapped,” said Fire Vice Admiral Lionel Matthew.
In November 2018, the collapse in rue d’Aubagne of the two buildings, in the heart of the popular district of Noailles, another district in central Marseille, had killed eight people. These buildings were in serious conditions of decay.
Article being updated…