"Nine disappeared after the collapse of buildings in Marseille"

In Marseille, nine people are still missing after the collapse of two buildings on Monday. This was announced by regional director Renaud Muselier via Twitter. It concerns seven residents and two passers-by, according to Muselier.

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According to Muselier, a missing woman would not have come Monday afternoon to take her daughter out of school. Another resident would never leave her house. The two missing passers-by were captured by a surveillance camera as they passed buildings just before the buildings collapsed. It is unknown whether they were buried under the rubble.

The two buildings suddenly collapsed Monday morning. One of the buildings was recently declared uninhabitable and left vacant. The second building was still inhabited. As a precaution, the authorities demolished a third adjoining building so that rescue operations could begin. Relief operations continue all night, said Muselier.

Rescue Operation

French Housing Minister Julien Denormandie said earlier in the day that he did not know if any people were missing. "We must first determine if there are people who can be saved," he said. He called it "a race against the clock".

French President Emmanuel Macron showed on Twitter his condolences. "Marseille suffered this morning and Marseille is still suffering," he wrote.