The French authorities announced today, Monday, that three bodies had been found among the rubble following an explosion that led to the collapse of a building in the southern city of Marseille, ringing the death toll to five, while rescuers continue to search for at least six people whose fate is unknown.

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EDITED BY |ANNA SAM

EUROPE SECTION CJ NEWS

11 APRIL 2023

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   Authorities announced that two more bodies had been found earlier in the night. The firefighters said in a statement that the judicial authority would begin the process of identifying the victims.

"The hope of finding survivors remains," Minister for Towns and Housing Olivier Klein told reporters earlier on Monday after meeting rescuers at the site.

More than 100 firefighters have been deployed to take part in the search. The firefighters indicated that they were facing difficulties in their mission, and said in a statement that the judicial authority would begin to identify the victims.

Rescuers used a crane to move heavy blocks of concrete and rubble very carefully so as not to harm the people still trapped underneath and then continued digging with their hands.

Marseille Mayor Benoit Bayan tweeted on Monday that the "pain and sorrow are great" and expressed his sympathy for the families of the victims and "those who are suffering".

"Rescue and inspection operations continue unabated," he said. Prosecutors stated that an investigation is underway to see if the explosion was caused by a gas leak.

The collapse occurred shortly before 1 am on Sunday, in an old district in the center of Marseille, the second largest city in France, less than a kilometer from its famous old port. About 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area.

In 2018, two buildings collapsed in central Marseille, killing eight people. The Home Secretary said that these two buildings were not well maintained - not the case with the building that collapsed on Sunday.

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