About 10 persons are believed to be trapped under rubble after an explosion caused two residential buildings to collapse in the southern French city of Marseille on Sunday.
The Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, disclosed the news. The cause of the explosion is, however, not yet known.
The collapse resulted in a fire that made rescue efforts difficult and could take several hours to extinguish, according to Darmanin. He added that authorities estimate that between four and 10 people are still under the rubble.
Emergency services have taken five people to the hospital with serious injuries that are not life-threatening, while a sixth person is being treated for shock.
The situation worsened as a third building partially collapsed and approximately 30 buildings in the surrounding area had to be evacuated.
According to Darmanin, the buildings that collapsed on Rue de Tivoli had no known structural problems.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his concern in a tweet, saying, “Thoughts are with Marseille.”
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not released any further information on the cause of the explosion.
