Two bodies have been found in the rubble of a building that collapsed in the French city of Marseille following a major explosion, the fire department announced on Monday morning.

“Given the particular difficulties of intervention, the extraction (of the bodies from the site) will take time,” the department said in a brief statement, confirming reports in local media.

“The judicial authority will then proceed to identify” the victims, it added.

The discovery of the two bodies came about 24 hours after the blast caused the collapse of the four-story building in the Mediterranean port city.

An official had said earlier on Sunday evening that rescue workers were looking for eight missing people who were presumed to be in the rubble.

“Tonight, the pain and sorrow are great,” said Marseille mayor Benoit Payan in a statement.

“All services of the city, as well as the state, are still at this very moment fully committed to continue the search,” he added.

Television footage showed clouds of smoke rising from the rubble as firefighters tried to put out the fire, while trained dogs were used to try to locate victims.

Five people were taken to hospital with serious but not life threatening injuries.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who visited the site, said 30 buildings in the area were evacuated.

In 2018, around 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) from the tragedy, three buildings considered not fit for habitation collapsed, killing eight people.

The mayor of Marseille said a parallel could not be drawn, while the prosecutor said the buildings that collapsed on Sunday were not known to have any structural problems.

“Thoughts are with Marseille,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a Twitter message.