Fifth body found under collapsed buildings in French city of Marseille

The body of a fifth victim has been found in the rubble of two dilapidated buildings that collapsed this week in the French city of Marseille, authorities said on Wednesday.

The buildings collapsed on Monday morning. 

Emergency services combing through the rubble have now found the bodies of three men and two women.

Authorities had initially said that up to eight people, including two women and three men, might have been buried in the debris.

"We are continuing our work, in the hope of finding survivors," Charles-Henri Garie, who is the head of the Marseille fire brigade service, told BFM TV.

Rescue teams at the scene said their work had been complicated by the fact that the collapse had destabilised other buildings in the area.

Anger mounts after collapse

Minister Christophe Castaner told lawmakers in Paris that he had ordered a building by building audit before an "ambitious programme for ensuring safe conditions" along with Marseille authorities.

"Nearly 6,000 properties have been identified as at risk" in the city, he said, representing some 44,000 lodgings in lower-class neighbourhoods, calling the situation unacceptable.

Residents said Tuesday the structural risks of the buildings and others like them were widely known, but that city officials did little when alerted about them.

"Everybody knew about the problems with the two collapsed buildings," said Patrick Lacoste, a spokesman for a local housing action group.

"People died for nothing, even though we knew."

"It's hell here, they know that it's crap and now people die for nothing," said local resident Toufik Ben Rhouma. 

The disaster, he added, was "100 percent the fault of city hall".

"It's been 10 years that I have been living here and I have never had anyone come and inspect my apartment," said a woman who identified herself as Sophie.