Two bodies recovered from rubble of collapsed buildings in France

At least six people are believed to be missing after an explosion destroys two residential buildings in Marseille.

French rescue workers have found two bodies in the rubble of buildings in the southern city of Marseille that collapsed in an explosion, the mayor says.

Judicial authorities will identify the victims, firefighters said in a statement on Monday, which also noted “particular difficulties” in searching for missing residents.

Authorities previously said that nine people were believed missing after Sunday’s explosion, which destroyed two residential buildings and caused a third to partially collapse. The cause of the blast is still unknown.

Mayor Benoit Payan tweeted on Monday that “the pain and sorrow are great.” He said his thoughts went out to the families of the victims and “those who are suffering”.

“Rescue and search operations are continuing without respite,” Payan said.

The mayor told French media that more than 100 firefighters were searching for at least six people believed to have been trapped in a five-story residential building. “There is still hope” to find survivors, he said.

The burning debris was too hot for dogs in the firefighters’ canine team to work until Sunday afternoon, and smoke still bothered them, a prosecutor said.

An investigation has been opened, and a gas explosion is among the potential causes, the prosecutor added.

The collapse occurred shortly before 1am on Sunday (23:00 GMT on Saturday) in an old quarter in the centre of Marseille, France’s second-largest city. It took place less than a kilometre (a half-mile) from its old port. About 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area.

In 2018, two buildings in the centre of Marseille collapsed, killing eight people. That disaster cast a harsh light on the city’s housing standards with aid groups saying 40,000 people were living in shoddy structures.

However, authorities on Sunday appeared to rule out structural issues in the latest collapse.

“There was no danger notice for this building, and it is not in a neighbourhood identified as having substandard housing,” said Christophe Mirmand, prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhone region.