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Two bodies found in French building collapse as rescue efforts continue
Two bodies were found in the rubble of a building that collapsed in Marseille following a major explosion, French authorities said.
PARIS - Two bodies were found in the rubble of a building that collapsed in Marseille following a major explosion, French authorities said early Monday, as rescue workers scrambled to find at least six people still unaccounted for.
The discovery of the bodies came about 24 hours after the blast brought down the four-storey building in the Mediterranean port city.
Emergency workers had continued rescue operations through Sunday night into the early hours of Monday with the help of a crane and lights, but a persistent fire underneath the rubble hampered their work, making it difficult for firefighters to deploy sniffer dogs.
"Given the particular difficulties of intervention, the extraction (of the bodies from the site) will take time," the fire department said in a brief statement announcing the bodies had been found.
"The judicial authority will then proceed to identify" the victims, it added.
Earlier on Sunday, before the discovery of the bodies, local prosecutor Dominique Laurens told reporters that eight people "were not responding to phone calls".
AFP | CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU
Five people from neighbouring buildings sustained minor injuries in the blast and collapse, which occurred around 12:40am on Sunday.
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.
More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze in the ruins of the building, which was believed to have one apartment on each floor.
Multiple witnesses described the explosion to AFP.
Two buildings next to the destroyed property were severely damaged, with one collapsing later in the day without injuring any rescuers.
Almost 200 residents have been evacuated and 50 have requested to be urgently rehoused.
An aid centre for people looking for missing family members or loved ones has been opened in a neighbouring district.