Two dead and six people unaccounted for in Marseille building collapse

Two bodies have been found under the debris of a building that collapsed following an explosion in France’s port city of Marseille.

"Given the difficulties of intervention, the extraction (of the bodies from the site) will take time," said the fire department as it shared the report of casualties.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan tweeted on Monday that “the pain and sorrow are great”. He said his thoughts are with the families of the victims and “those who are suffering”.

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

More than 100 firefighters, aided by specialists, worked against a ticking clock to extinguish flames deep within the rubble of the five-story building. But more than 17 hours later "the situation is not yet stabilized", Marseille prosecutor Dominique Laurens said at an evening news conference on Sunday.

The number of people unaccounted for remains disputed, with six people feared trapped, reported the BBC. Five people suffered minor injuries from the collapse, which occurred shortly before 1am on Sunday.

The cause of the blast remained unknown with authorities opening an investigation for involuntary injury, at least initially sidestepping possible criminal intentions. Earlier Mr Payan said that “no conclusions can be drawn” without a probe.

He said two buildings that share walls with the one that collapsed were partially brought down before one later caved in, another complication in the search and rescue operation. The buildings were among the evacuated structures.

Drones and probes have been used to examine the scene for signs of life. The burning debris was too hot for dogs in the firefighters’ canine team to work until Sunday afternoon, though smoke still bothered them, the prosecutor said.

The delicate operation proceeded with the aim of keeping firefighters safe, preventing further harm to people potentially trapped in the rubble and not compromising vulnerable buildings nearby.

"We cannot intervene in a very classic way," interior minister Gerald Darmanin said during a morning visit to the site, as he informed that about 30 buildings and 200 people in the area have been evacuated.

He said the fire was burning a few metres under the mounds of debris and that both water and foam represent a danger to victims’ survival.

A gas explosion was among the tracks to check, said Ms Laurens, the prosecutor. But the start of the probe also was limited by the heat of the blaze.

"The flames weren’t pink. They were blue," Mr Payan said as he warned to “prepare” for victims from the incident. “Firefighters are gauging minute by minute the best way to put out the fire.”

“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 during a televised briefing.

The collapsed building is located in an old quarter in the center of France’s second-largest city. The noise from the explosion resounded in other neighborhoods. Nearby streets were blocked off.

French president Emmanuel Macron and prime minister Elisabeth Borne both tweeted their thoughts for people affected and their appreciation to the firefighters for their work.

While Mr Payan said the rescuers are “determined” to find people alive.

Additional reporting from the wires