“Let’s get ready to have victims” – breaking latest news

A four-story building collapsed in the night between Saturday and Sunday, around 12.40am, in the center of Marseille, at 17 rue de Tivoli, in the fifth arrondissementcausing the partial collapse of the buildings at numbers 15 and 19. The emergency services are on the spot and there are at least five injured, according to initial information, which would be some residents of nearby buildings.

Witnesses speak of a strong explosion that brought down the entire building. “There was a huge explosion,” he told theAfp Gilles, who lives on a street perpendicular to that of the collapsed building. «There are strong suspicions that an explosion caused the collapse.”confirmed the regional prefect Christophe Mirmand, adding that gas could be “a possible option”.

The streets around the building are cordoned off. The security perimeter is large due to the risk of collapse of the surrounding buildings. The rubble has invaded the road and the authorities recommend avoiding the area so as 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. “We must prepare to have victims in this terrible tragedy,” Mayor Benoit Payan explained to reporters on the spot, specifying that the fire “is still ongoing and is extremely difficult to control. Firefighters are judging minute by minute how best to put out this fire because there are potentially people alive inside.”

? EXPLOSION IN MARSEILLE – A fire is smoldering under the rubble of the collapsed building on rue de Tivoli. No human toll yet. (? FR3 Provence) #Marseille pic.twitter.com/l929UOJNhN

— FOCUS (@FocusFR_) April 9, 2023

The adjacent buildings have been evacuated as a safety measure: “Eleven people were evacuated – the mayor specified -: two people are injurednine people are unhurt, including two children.

Explosion in a building on rue Tivoli in #Marseille pic.twitter.com/2lqopHIBJu

— Aurelien Bourneuf (@Aurelien1335) April 8, 2023

In November 2018, the collapse of the two buildings in rue d’Aubagne, in the heart of the Noailles working-class district, another district in the center of Marseilles, had killed eight people. These buildings were in serious conditions of decay.

At 10.45, the arrival of Gerald Darmanin, French interior minister, is expected, as announced by the ministerial office in a note, as also reported by Bfmtv. The balance of the collapse is still provisional because a fire hinders the rescue efforts.