MARSEILLE – Rescue workers on Monday recovered a fourth body from the rubble of a building that collapsed in the French city of Marseille following a major explosion, a cabinet minister said, as firefighters raced against the clock to find four people still missing.
More than 24 hours after a suspected explosion at the building, where residents reported a strong smell of gas, dozens of civil defence staff and sniffer dogs worked among the debris as a fire still smouldered.
“Four bodies have been found,” Housing Minister Olivier Klein said at the site of the accident.
But the deputy mayor of the Mediterranean port city, Mr Yannick Ohanessian, said rescue workers still had hope of finding survivors.
“Until the very end, we will believe it is possible – even if chances become slimmer with every passing hour,” he said.
Mr Lionel Mathieu, the commander of the city’s fire department, said his team was waging a “battle against time”. “The fire has not reached all parts (of the building), so there is hope,” he said. The fire at the site has made it hard for the dogs to detect more victims or survivors.
The discovery of the bodies came about 24 hours after the blast caused the collapse of the four-storey building in the Mediterranean port city.
An official had said earlier on Sunday evening that rescue workers were looking for eight missing people who were presumed to be in the rubble.
The cause of the explosion is still to be determined, but investigators are looking at the possibility it was the result of a gas leak.
It was earlier reported that the explosion had caused two residential buildings to collapse. A third building had partially collapsed and people were evacuated from some 30 buildings in the area.
“Tonight, the pain and sorrow are great,” said Marseille mayor Benoit Payan in a statement.
“All services of the city, as well as the state, are still at this very moment fully committed to continue the search,” he added.
Almost 200 residents were evacuated from surrounding buildings.
The city provided some emergency shelter, and the local community also sprang into action to help coordinate housing and aid for them. AFP
