One person has died, three injured and nine remain missing after a five-story residential apartment block collapsed in the Los Cristianos neighborhood on the island of Tenerife on Thursday, local authorities said.

The body of a woman was discovered by rescue services in the ruins of the building, which collapsed in the morning.

Meanwhile, three people were injured in the collapse and a further nine out of the 28 residents of the building remain unaccounted for.

At least some are thought to remain trapped under the rubble and the Spanish Military Emergency Unit has sent 29 soldiers and five rescue dogs to help local security and civil protection services with searching for victims.

The cause of the tragedy is yet unknown, but reports in the local press suggest it could have happened as the result of renovation work which was being carried out on the ground floor and stopped two weeks ago when cracks were discovered in the structure.

Witnesses spoke of hearing a loud bang just before the building collapsed and others spoke of a smell of gas.

Neighboring buildings have been evacuated as a precaution while the local authority has opened a center for those affected or their family to receive psychological help.

Source: XINHUA