Marseille building collapses, rubble fire stymies rescue

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — A residential building in the port city of Marseille has collapsed in a loud explosion, and a fire within the rubble is hindering rescue efforts. Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan said that two neighboring buildings partially came down and one was in danger of collapsing, further complicating rescue efforts. The explosion happened just before 1 a.m. Sunday. Six hours later, over 100 firefighters were trying to put out blazes deep within the piles of rubble so the search for people who might be trapped inside could proceed. It’s not yet known if anyone was killed. Payan says residents of neighboring buildings were evacuated and six were hospitalized.