Le 5 novembre, dans la matinée, deux immeubles se sont effondrés rue d’Aubagne, à Marseille. Un drame qui a fait huit morts - cinq hommes et trois femmes. Le bilan n'a pas encore été présenté comme "définitif" par les autorités. Les recherches se poursuivaient vendredi soir dans les décombres des immeubles.





Le procureur de la République de Marseille, Xavier Tarabeux, a annoncé l’identification de plusieurs des victimes, sans pour autant en dévoiler l’identité. Le quotidien La Provence a néanmoins dévoilé plusieurs éléments concernant les habitants de la rue d’Aubagne, disparus ou potentiellement décédés dans l’effondrement des deux immeubles.</s>PARIS (AP) - Marseille firefighters say the death toll has risen to six in the collapse of two dilapidated apartment buildings in the southern French city with the discoveries of two men's bodies Wednesday.

The fire service has been toiling day and night with cadaver dogs to sift through the pile of rubble and beams.

The two buildings, one condemned as substandard and seemingly empty, the other containing apartments, collapsed on Monday. Fire crews deliberately brought down an adjacent third building that was also in danger of collapse.

The fire service says the site remains dangerous.

The collapse has provoked soul-searching and criticism about the parlous state of some housing in Marseille, France's second-largest city.

Firefighters work at the scene where buildings collapsed in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Two buildings collapsed in the southern city of Marseille on Monday, leaving a giant pile of rubble and beams. Fire services said two people were lightly hurt. The collapse spewed debris into the street and clouds of dust into the air, and left a big gap where the two buildings used to be. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

Firefighters work at the scene where buildings collapsed in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Two buildings collapsed in the southern city of Marseille on Monday, leaving a giant pile of rubble and beams. Fire services said two people were lightly hurt. The collapse spewed debris into the street and clouds of dust into the air, and left a big gap where the two buildings used to be. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

Firefighters work at the scene where buildings collapsed in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Two buildings collapsed in the southern city of Marseille on Monday, leaving a giant pile of rubble and beams. Fire services said two people were lightly hurt. The collapse spewed debris into the street and clouds of dust into the air, and left a big gap where the two buildings used to be. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

Firefighters work at the scene where buildings collapsed in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Two buildings collapsed in the southern city of Marseille on Monday, leaving a giant pile of rubble and beams. Fire services said two people were lightly hurt. The collapse spewed debris into the street and clouds of dust into the air, and left a big gap where the two buildings used to be. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)</s>MARSEILLE, France (AP) - Fire services say the body of a woman has been found in the ruins of decrepit apartment buildings in the southern French city of Marseille, bringing to eight the death toll from the collapse that sparked an outcry over substandard housing.

The body was found Friday afternoon, four days after the collapse, Marseille firefighters said.

Two buildings, one condemned as substandard and seemingly empty, the other containing apartments, crumbled without warning. Fire workers have been working to dig the bodies out of the ruins.

Firefighters work at the scene where buildings collapsed in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Two buildings collapsed in the southern city of Marseille on Monday, leaving a giant pile of rubble and beams. Fire services said two people were lightly hurt. The collapse spewed debris into the street and clouds of dust into the air, and left a big gap where the two buildings used to be. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)</s>Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin said on Thursday that seven bodies had been recovered from two collapsed buildings near the Mediterranean city's Old Port area.

Authorities believe one person may still be trapped under the rubble. The chances of finding survivors "are thin, very thin, but real," said Charles-Henri Garie, who leads the water brigades of the Marseille fire department.

Gaudin is under pressure to resign after the buildings collapsed on Monday. "Some people are taking advantage of this in opposition to society's interests," Gaudin said.

Earlier this week, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said at least 6,000 properties had been identified as "at risk" in Marseille. He said they comprised 44,000 lodgings mostly in lower-class neighborhoods. Castaner described the situation as "unacceptable."

But Gaudin was defiant, saying he would not heed calls to jump ship in the wave of the tragic incident.

He said since 2005, €35 million ($40 million) had been allocated to renovating or demolishing social housing blocks. "Do you think a ship captain quits during a storm?" Gaundin asked.

Read more: Can Emmanuel Macron's banlieues plan reach the poor?

But politicians and residents continued to decry the situation, saying officials needed to be held responsible.

"Everybody knew about the problems with the two collapsed buildings," Patrick Lacoste, a spokesman for a local housing action group, told France 24. "People died for nothing, even though we knew."

Jean-Luc Melenchon, a local left wing lawmaker and former presidential candidate, said it was "the homes of the poor that are falling down, and that's not a coincidence."

Each evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Death toll up to 8 in Marseille building collapse

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Fire services say the body of a woman has been found in the ruins of decrepit apartment buildings in the southern French city of Marseille, bringing to eight the death toll from the collapse that sparked an outcry over substandard housing.

The body was found Friday afternoon, four days after the collapse, Marseille firefighters said.

Two buildings, one condemned as substandard and seemingly empty, the other containing apartments, crumbled without warning. Fire workers have been working to dig the bodies out of the ruins.
Two additional bodies are found in the rubble of the two buildings that collapsed four days ago in Marseille, France, bringing the final death toll to eight.