Collapsed buildings in Marseille: the uncertainty of evacuated residents

In Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), helmet on her head, escorted by a firefighter, a resident of the rue de Tivoli, in which buildings have collapsed, has the right to return to her apartment for a few minutes. Many evacuees returned on Monday, April 10 in the afternoon, to collect essential items. After the shock of the collapse, the inhabitants of the district are in uncertainty. They don’t know how long they will be away from home.

Some buildings are little affected

“The town hall called, she said ‘for a moment’ (…) in the building, there are cracks”, says Houda Abouelnaga, an evacuated resident. Around 17 rue de Tivoli, 43 buildings were evacuated. In this large perimeter, most of the buildings did not suffer major damage. “There will be people who will be able to return to their homes when all the safety work has been done”, says Yannick Ohanessian, deputy mayor of Marseille in charge of security. For the most affected buildings, near the site of the collapse, the expertise and work could last several weeks or months.