Two buildings collapse in the French city of Marseille

FILE: Firefighters work at the scene where a two buildings collapsed in Marseille, southern France. (AP)

Two buildings collapsed Monday morning in the French city of Marseille, authorities said.

Two people have received moderate injuries, fire services said.

A regional prefecture tweeted a photo that showed a pile of rubble and wooden beams. It urged people to avoid the area and make way for emergency services. Authorities were searching for any victims trapped beneath the rubble.

Dozens of fire officers were at the scene and thick dust covered cars in the street. Marseille is located on the country's southern shore.

Images of the two buildings before the collapse indicate one used to have five floors and the other six.

Sabine Bernasconi, the local mayor for that part of Marseille, said the building was in poor condition and had been subject to an evacuation order, but she could not rule out that squatters might have been using it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.