PARIS: Part of a five-storey residential building collapsed in the centre of the northeastern French city of Reims on Sunday, killing two people and injuring at least 10, officials said.

The collapse, which left several apartments dangling in open air, may have been caused by a gas explosion and investigations were continuing, regional official Michel Bernard told BFM-TV.

The casualty toll was provisional and could rise, he said.

Around 10 of the 40 apartments in the 1960s-era building were affected by the 11.15 a.m. (0915 GMT) collapse.

“There is a lot of rubble to clear,” he said.