Six years after the collapse of two buildings on rue d'Aubagne, which caused the death of eight people, the trial opened on November 7 in Marseille. Victims are waiting for answers.
A deep scar anchored in the Marseille city. This Thursday, November 7, the trial of the collapses on rue d'Aubagne will open at the Marseille criminal court, almost six years to the day after this tragedy which aroused immense emotion. On November 5, 2018, two buildings located at 63 and 65 rue d'Aubagne collapsed, causing the death of eight people.
While 16 individuals and legal entities will appear before the criminal court, the victims and their families are impatiently awaiting the trial, to rebuild their lives but also to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred in France's second city.
“We have been waiting for this for six years”
Liliana Lalonde lost her son Julien, aged 30 at the time, on the day of the collapse.
At the microphone of BFM Marseille Provence, she declared that she wanted to “identify those responsible” and expected the prosecution to “designate those guilty”.
87 people are civil parties in this extraordinary judgment. “We have been waiting for six years and, finally, the trial is coming,” she added. The mother explains that she was “shocked for a good while” after the loss of her son in these dramatic conditions. “Our son was calm in his apartment and then everything fell apart,” she remembers. She confided to BFM Marseille Provence that her sadness and anger “transformed into a fight” to keep her son’s voice waiting. She now wants to “give meaning” to this accident.
“The commitment I made is to do everything possible to ensure that this does not happen again,” confides Liliana.
Four days before the trial, she says she has “a lot of hope” and hopes that the trial will allow “justice to reign”. This tragedy highlighted the scourge of poor housing in Marseille. In the Marseille city, 40,000 housing units are considered unworthy, or 10% of the housing stock.
This Sunday, November 3, several thousand people gathered in Marseille to demand “justice and truth” for the victims of the collapse. They also called for “dignified housing for all”.
Julien's mother is also working with the town hall and other victims' families so that “this place of death is transformed into a place of life” in the future. Work should begin in early 2025 according to her. “We hope there will be lots of laughter and good times shared,” she concludes.
