Rescuers search rubble for victims after blast at Vienna apartment building
- More than a dozen people injured in suspected gas explosion, with more feared buried under debris
- Authorities working to clear rubble-covered car that could contain one or two people
An apartment building in Vienna partially collapsed in an explosion on Wednesday, leaving one person with initial life-threatening injuries and others feared buried underneath the rubble, authorities said.
A 35-year-old man who lived in one of the apartments suffered broken bones and internal injuries.
But by midnight, the man's condition had improved significantly and his injuries were no longer life-threatening, Vienna rescue authorities told Austria's APA news agency.
A spokesman for the city's fire brigade told APA that authorities were working to clear a “huge pile of debris”. The focus was on a car that was buried under the rubble and is feared to contain one or two people. Rescue dogs were at the scene.
The blast collapsed several floors of up to two buildings and is suspected to have been caused by a gas explosion, according to the city police authority.