Three found dead and others missing after the collapse in Marseille

The two- and five-storey buildings collapsed completely without notice on Monday morning.

According to the local authorities, a building was reportedly condemned and empty. But in the other, a dozen people lived.

The rescuers searched the haugen ruin all night and morning. On Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the authorities confirmed that two men and a woman had been found at three different locations during the work.

Those who went there say that the Aubagne Street accident in the Noailles workers district in Marseille recalls the scene of an earthquake.

– Still hoping

The search for more casualties continues and more than 120 rescuers are set up to move the building blocks stone by stone.

A car completely collapsed under the ruins shows that the buildings collapsed with great power. Nevertheless, there is hope to find survivors.

"We still hope, even if the hope is about to disappear, there may still be pockets of air," said a rescuer.

Nothing new

Earlier, it is estimated that between five and eight people can be in the ruins. There were people in at least nine of the ten apartments of a building, including an Italian one.

– It was a great girl. She often came here and studied at the bar, says a young waiter working in a nearby bar.

Abdou Ali (34) also remained at the scene of the accident and waited for news Tuesday afternoon. He is looking for his mother who did not come to pick up her youngest son at school on Monday afternoon.

"I did not hear anything again," Ali says.

– Rain may have contributed

Two casual bystanders were injured when a building suddenly burst. However, they escaped from the incident with only minor injuries.

The street of a building was blocked by bricks and other masses of the collapsed house. A thick layer of dust covers everything.

The cause of the sudden and unexpected collapse of the two buildings is not yet known. According to AFP, housing officials in Marseille believe that heavy rains may have played a role.

The accident nevertheless triggered a debate on the level of housing of the poor in the French city. The neighborhood buildings have many buildings of the same level.

The Marseille authorities launched a comprehensive plan to modernize the city center in 2011. However, according to a report from the authorities of 2015, about 100,000 inhabitants of Marseille lived in homes that are dangerous for health and safety.