Two buildings collapse in Marseille, up to 10 people still under the rubble
As many as 10 people were thought to be under the rubble after an explosion that caused two residential buildings to collapse in the southern French city of Marseille, authorities say, Reuters reports.
The cause of the explosion was not yet known. The collapse started a fire that complicated rescue efforts and that French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said could take hours to put out. He said authorities estimated there were between four and 10 people under the rubble. "We're trying to drown the fire while preserving the lives of eventual victims under the rubble," Lionel Mathieu, commander of the Marseille fire brigade, said.
The intense heat made it impossible to send in dog teams to search, he added.
More than 100 firefighters were trying to put out fires under huge piles of rubble in a slow and delicate operation aimed at keeping firefighters safe and trying not to harm people potentially trapped.
