The lifeless body of a resident was found on Sunday evening December 24 in a building on rue Bossuet, in Marseille (6e borough), according to the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan. The building had been hit earlier in the evening by an explosion followed by a fire.
“On this Christmas Eve, I send my condolences and thoughts to the family and loved ones of the victim as well as to the residents of the building and the neighborhood. Marseille stands by your side »said the elected official on the social network
According to the daily Provence, the explosion was heard shortly before 8 p.m. The firefighters intervened in the following minutes, facing “a major fire”, a brigade officer explained to the newspaper. Four people were evacuated, one of them being treated after suffering from smoke inhalation. Nine residents of an adjoining building also had to leave their homes.
Several dramas in 2023
The city has been affected by several tragedies in central buildings in recent months. In April, a gas leak caused the collapse of two buildings on rue de Tivoli, in 5e borough. Eight people were dead, and around 300 displaced. A few weeks ago, on December 3, a building on 4e The district partially collapsed following, again, an explosion and then a fire. Seven people were injured and thirty-seven relocated.
Two accidents which awakened in the memory of residents the memory of the disaster on rue d’Aubagne, on November 5, 2018. The fall of two buildings left eight dead and triggered a lively debate on unsanitary housing in Marseille.