Rescuers search for survivors after explosion in Sicily

Members of a rescue team work at the scene of a gas explosion in a residential building, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello

Rescuers plan to work through the night in the Sicilian town of Ravanusa to try to find survivors of a suspected gas explosion that killed at least three people.

Two people were found alive under the rubble and six were missing, authorities said on Sunday.

A relative of a victim looks on as members of a rescue team work at the scene of a gas explosion in a residential building, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello

"We have two great friends still under there, we are praying to God that they pull them out okay," local resident Lillo Cavallaro told Reuters.

In the explosion late on Saturday, four houses collapsed and another three were damaged, authorities said, adding the blast was likely triggered by a gas leak from the town's pipes, although an investigation was underway to ascertain the cause.

Gas grid operator Italgas expressed its sorrow and condolences to people in Ravanusa. It said its emergency service had received no reports of gas leaks last week.

A relative sits after several buildings collapsed following a gas explosion, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

"The Ravanusa distribution network was fully inspected in both 2020 and 2021," said the company, adding that there were no construction sites on the section of pipeline affected.

Local residents in the town of 11,000 people watched on Sunday as firefighters and civil-protection rescuers tried to locate survivors.

"It is a small town and everyone knows each other," said 69 year-old pensioner Arcangelo D'Angelo, adding he knew the missing people. "What we are living through here is an unimaginable drama and we have no words."

Members of a rescue team work at the scene of a gas explosion in a residential building, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Ravanusa is near the southwestern Sicilian city of Agrigento, which is famous for its Greek temples.

(Writing by Francesca Landini; Editing by Gareth Jones, Raissa Kasolowsky and Barbara Lewis)

Members of a rescue team work at the scene of a gas explosion in a residential building, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Members of a rescue team work at the scene of a gas explosion in a residential building, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Members of a rescue team work at the scene where a four-storey building collapsed following a gas explosion, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Members of a rescue team work at the scene where a four-storey building collapsed following a gas explosion, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello

A view of a damaged facade in the aftermath of a gas explosion in a residential building, in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello

Emergency services wheel away a victim after a four-storey building collapsed following a gas explosion in Ravanusa, Italy, December 12, 2021, in this still image from video. REUTERS TV