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Two buildings collapsed Monday in the city of Marseille, in the south of the country, leaving a huge pile of rubble and beams. Fire departments said two people were slightly injured.
The collapse shed debris on the street and clouds of dust in the air, leaving a large void where the two buildings were located.
Dozens of firemen were on the scene, accompanied by two sniffer dogs and big cars covered in dust, in the street near the famous Old Port of Marseille.
Authorities said that searches were under way to search for victims stranded under the rubble. The Marseille fire department said that two bystanders who were on the street when the buildings collapsed were treated for minor injuries.
The amateur video broadcast on BFM-TV showed dust clouds in the street and passers-by covering their mouths with their sleeves.
The images of the buildings before their collapse, visible on Google Street View, showed that one of the buildings had five floors and the other six.
One of the buildings was clearly in poor condition, with recessed windows and large visible cracks on the facade before collapsing.
Sabine Bernasconi, mayor of the city of Marseille, said that one of the buildings had been the subject of an eviction order, but she could not exclude that squatters l & # 39; have used.
The regional prefecture urged the population to avoid the area and leave room for emergency services.
