MARSEILLE, France -- Firefighters working overnight recovered another body from the debris of a fire which swept through a hotel housing mainly immigrants in this southern French port city, bringing the death toll to nine, AFP reported.

No details were given on the latest victim of the fire, which broke out overnight Wednesday in Marseille's downmarket La Plaine district. The eight victims confirmed earlier were said to be Romanians and Moroccans. Eighteen other people, including four children, were injured in the fire.

Twenty-four hours after the blaze broke out, firefighters continued the search for victims in 50 tons of rubble after the roof and the fifth floor of the building collapsed onto the floor below.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and police said earlier that they were questioning the son of the hotel's manager. However another police source said that the fire appeared to have been started accidentally.

Firemen said one young couple panicked and jumped out their hotel window before rescuers arrived. The woman, 25, died, while her husband survived with serious injuries.

Christophe Maurin, captain of the rescue team of around 100 men, said the blaze was fanned by "exceptionally strong" mistral winds typical of the region.

It broke out after midnight on the hotel's fourth floor, where it trapped and killed three of its victims, then quickly spread to the fifth floor and roof.

Firefighters had to use ladders to evacuate 30 of the guests trapped inside the building.

Four more bodies, including that of a child, were found Thursday as rescue workers combed through the scorched debris.

A resident of a neighboring building told AFP that he had heard "a loud noise and cries".

The hotel was mainly populated by immigrant families from Morocco and Romania. CAPTION

A fireman looks up at a building damaged by fire in the center of Marseille, France, May 15, 2003. A fire in the early hours killed five people and injured 20 on Thursday.