Ten feared buried in French building fall

It's feared 10 people are buried in rubble after two buildings collapsed in the southern French city of Marseille, injuring two passers-by.

Firefighters work at the scene where a building collapsed In Marseille. Source: AAP

Emergency services are searching for around 10 people feared buried beneath the rubble of two collapsed buildings in the southern French city of Marseille.

French Housing Minister Julien Denormandie has described the task as a race against time, after the buildings collapsed on Monday morning.

The collapsed building. Source: AAP

Local media reports said at least two passers-by were injured in the accident, and that authorities had destroyed a third building deemed to be unsafe.

The buildings were located in a small shopping street in the centre of the city. One of them was dilapidated and empty, according to authorities.

The search for survivors has been called a "race against time". Source: AAP

According to Denormandie, around 10 people lived in the other one, which was undergoing building work.

"These are the people we are looking for now," the minister told a press conference.