4 Bodies Recovered So Far In France Building Collapse

A fourth body was on Monday recovered from the rubble of a collapsed apartment in France’s Marseille, 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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

(AFP)