At least three people have died and six are still missing after two buildings collapsed in Sicily following a gas explosion.

The captain of the local firefighters, Giuseppe Merendino, confirmed the fatalities and said two people had been found alive under rubble after the blast in the town of Ravanusa, Sicily, at about 8.30pm local time yesterday.

However, he added firefighters were still looking for the missing people, including two children and a young couple who are expecting a baby.

Pictures from the scene showed huge piles of rubble scattered on roads and over cars, with the damaged building still alight as firefighters carried out the search.

Filippo Barbera, a priest who was celebrating mass nearby on Saturday evening, said the houses caught fire when a natural gas pipe exploded.

He said: “It is a huge tragedy… Let’s pray to ask God to avoid more deaths.”

About 250 rescuers, including civil protection volunteers, joined the search effort.

Sicily flooding: Two die after fierce storm batters Italian island as emergency crews warn ‘situation critical’

Harrison Ford’s lost credit card returned after being found by tourist in Sicily

Harrison Ford poses as Indiana Jones with lookalike fans dressed as the movie’s iconic explorer

They also brought sniffer dogs and overhead drones to help find people under the rubble.

Rescue workers managed to contain the fire triggered by the explosion at about 11.15pm.

Salvo Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection unit DRPC, said an elderly woman was among those rescued from the rubble of one of the buildings.

She had been taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Licata, after she suffered minor injuries including some fractures, he said.

Another woman, who is believed to be her sister, was also pulled out of one of the collapsed buildings.

Ravanusa has a population of 11,000 people and is near Agrigento, a city in the southwest of the island famous for its Greek temples.

Related posts:

‘It means a lot’: Christian Eriksen thanks well-wishers as he recovers from cardiac arrest Global COVID cases fall for seventh week – longest decline since start of pandemic Brazil’s president in hospital after 10 days of hiccups and may need emergency surgery Moon ‘wobble’ to bring a surge of severe flooding in 2030s, NASA warns Dutch crime reporter dies nine days after being shot in Amsterdam ‘Many houses don’t exist’: The families whose lives have been destroyed by floods Build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine-Russia border sparks concerns among Western allies Body of young migrant found at Belarus-Polish border as Britain sends troops to help with crisis Scorpion stings kill three and injure hundreds more after storms hit southern Egypt ‘The government has failed’: Inside the underground Polish movement helping migrants on Belarus border Putin shakes hands with Brazillian President Bolsonaro at Russia meeting – after making Macron sit 20ft away Kindergarten shelling could be Russian ploy to justify invasion, Boris Johnson and NATO chief claim