Bari, Italy  - An explosion on Sunday ripped through a three-story building in the southern Italian city of Bari, leaving at least four people trapped in the rubble, officials said.

Firefighters were at the scene searching for the missing persons whose condition was not immediately known, Bari rescue services official, Luca Cari, told the Sky TG24 television news channels.

A gas cylinder may have caused the blast in the building which is situated in the Adriatic port city's San Girolamo district, Cari said. dpa