By Reuters
MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - The body of a fifth victim has been found in the rubble of two dilapidated buildings that collapsed this week in the French city of Marseille, authorities said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: French rescue workers are seen near rubble after buildings collapsed in central Marseille, France, November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier/ MANILA BULLETIN
The buildings collapsed on Monday morning. Emergency services combing through the rubble have now found the bodies of three men and two women.
Authorities had initially said that up to eight people might have been buried in the debris.
“We are continuing our work, in the hope of finding survivors,” Charles-Henri Garie, who is the head of the Marseille fire brigade service, told BFM TV.
Rescue teams at the scene said their work had been complicated by the fact that the collapse had destabilised other buildings in the area.
Authorities said they were looking into what caused the collapse of the buildings, described by residents of the area as dilapidated and in need of repair.