Seventh body recovered after building collapse in France

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A seventh body has been pulled from the rubble of two buildings that collapsed earlier this week in the southern French city of Marseille, as authorities face mounting pressure for ignoring warnings about unsafe housing in poorer neighborhoods.

The bodies of five men and two women have so far been recovered. Authorities believe one person might still be trapped.

The buildings suddenly crumbled on Monday morning and emergency services have since been sifting through the rubble for anyone found trapped in the debris.

But rescue workers are being forced to work slowly as the collapse destabilized other buildings along the same street.

Policemen and firemen stand guard inside a security perimeter set after a building collapsed in Marseille, November 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

The search resumed Thursday afternoon after it was halted Wednesday so two other buildings could be pulled down.

Chances of finding any survivors "are thin, very thin, but real," said Charles-Henri Garie, who commands the water brigades of the local fire department.

Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin Gaudin rejected calls to resign on Thursday and defended his administration's efforts to deal with thousands of dilapidated lodgings in the southern French port city.

Residents in the working-class neighborhood where the collapse occurred, dozens of whom have been evacuated from their homes, have accused city authorities of neglecting the safety risks of derelict buildings despite years of complaints.

It remains unclear what caused the two houses built in the late 18th century to collapse on Monday, though city officials point to heavy rains the night before.

A 2015 government report said about 100,000 Marseille residents were living in housing that was dangerous.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said this week that 6,000 properties have been identified as "at risk" in the city, representing some 44,000 lodgings, mainly in lower-class neighborhoods.

(Top picture: This handout photo released by the Marseille fire department shows firemen working and removing rubble at the site where two buildings collapsed in Marseille, France, November 5, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters