Seven die in Italy as explosion wrecks flats

Milan - A gas explosion in an apartment block here demolished several floors of the building and killed at least seven people early yesterday. Fifteen people were injured and one died in hospital, police said. Rescue teams continued to work through the afternoon, looking for three missing people.

The toll may rise because the ground floor of the building was used by a cafe popular with early-morning commuters in the northern Italian city. A gas leak in an apartment high up the building caused the explosion, which blew out seven floors and left 88 people homeless, rescue services said. AFP