April 9 (UPI) — Several people are missing after an explosion in Marseille, France caused an apartment building to collapse on Sunday.
The explosion occurred just after midnight on Sunday, reducing the apartment complex on Tivoli Street to flaming rubble. At least 80 people have been evacuated, but rescuers believe as many as 10 people are still missing, according to CNN. Rescuers reportedly began pulling people from the building even as the fire continued.
BBC reports that 200 people were evacuated from about 30 nearby buildings, and 100 firefighters responded to battle the blaze. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.
Benoit Payan, mayor of Marseille, tweeted that first responders have been on the scene for nearly 24 hours.
“This evening, all the teams remain mobilized and determined to help and find people alive,” Payan tweeted. “Thank you to our @MarinsPompiers, police and municipal officers who have been working tirelessly for almost 24 hours. Hope must hold us.”
Ce soir, toutes les équipes restent mobilisées et déterminées à porter secours et retrouver des personnes en vie.
Merci à nos @MarinsPompiers, aux policiers et aux agents municipaux qui travaillent sans relâche depuis près de 24h.
L’espoir doit nous tenir. pic.twitter.com/u52ibk9HeJ— Benoît Payan (@BenoitPayan) April 9, 2023
Marseille experienced the collapse of two buildings in 2018, which left at least six dead. The two adjacent buildings collapsed within hours of each other. One of the buildings was boarded up but officials believed it was possible there were people inside.
The buildings that collapsed in 2018 were viewed as a result of structural issues that plagued many older buildings in low-income neighborhoods, The New York Times reports.
“Emotion with Marseille, where a building on rue Tivoli collapsed last night,” French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted. “I am thinking of those affected and their loved ones. Research is continuing with significant resources deployed. Thank you to the firefighters and rescuers mobilized.”