Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Two lifeless bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the apartment building that collapsed in Marseille, southern France, following an explosion Saturday night. The four-storey building on Rue de Tivoli in Marseille collapsed after an explosion. Firefighters and rescue workers have launched an operation to search for several people who are believed to be under the rubble. According to what was reported by the Belgian news agency today
By Monday morning, the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payne, had stated on Twitter that two bodies had been found under the rubble: "The pain and sadness are great. My thoughts are with the relatives and those who are suffering and still worried. Marseille stands by them." The two bodies have not yet been officially identified.
Payan added that rescue and search operations are continuing unabated. Six people are reported to still be missing: including a couple in their 30s and people "of a certain age". Noting the practical difficulties in the case, the fire brigade indicated that it would take time to extract (the bodies from the site).
According to Bayan, "clear identification" of the corpses "could be done in the afternoon or by tomorrow morning."
Several streets in the immediate area have been closed to traffic and more than 30 other buildings have been evacuated as a precaution. The city of Marseille has opened a gymnasium and two schools to accommodate evicted families; A psychological support unit and an emergency telephone line have been set up.
Bayan added that it had been "a very difficult night but there is still hope that possible survivors will be found." He confirmed that everything was being done to assist in the rescue operations, and emphasized that "all the City Services, accompanied by the National Services, are committed at this very moment to continuing the search."

However, the work carried out by the Naval Fire Brigade was invasive and slowed by the danger of nearby buildings collapsing: the adjacent building (No. 19) collapsed almost completely on Sunday after its residents had been evacuated. "But there is still hope, and as long as there is hope, we will not stop," Bayan concluded.