Two adjacent buildings collapsed on Saturday morning in the centre of Lille.
According to the Mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, there were no victims as the building had been evacuated in the early hours of the night as a precaution after a resident raised the alarm.
A young man living in the building reportedly arrived home at 3am last night and noticed that a wall in his apartment had buckled. After having decided to call security services, the municipal police issued a danger order and evacuated the buildings as a precaution.
Around 9am, the two adjacent buildings on Rue Pierre-Mauroy collapsed. The street is in a shopping district, but fortunately, the shops had not yet opened for business.
The cause of the collapse is unknown, and there were no reports of any explosions heard by local residents, which surely rules out a gas leak. However, building works were taking place at the rear of the building.
The fire brigade is still conducting "reconnaissance" to find "possible victims", they said. Ambulances from the SAMU were also on site.
