The home collapsed on Sunday morning in Saviano, east of Naples, killing a boy and a girl who lived there with their family, as well as a woman who was yet to be officially identified.

Rescuers recovered the father and a baby alive, “and unfortunately the lifeless bodies of the other two children,” firefighters wrote on X on Sunday morning.

Local media gave the ages of the girl and boy as four and six.

After searching the rubble by hand helped by sniffer dogs, firefighters located the body of an as-yet-unidentified woman, fire service spokesman Luca Cari told RaiNews 24.

Local media identified the third victim as the grandmother of the children, who lived on the second floor, adding that the mother was still missing.

More than 60 civil protection volunteers had joined the rescue efforts, the Campania region wrote on Facebook.

The father and the baby rescued from the rubble were rushed to the nearest hospital, with the father being in serious condition, media reports said.

Footage provided by firefighters showed two gaping holes in the roof of the building, which had partially collapsed.

The cause of the collapse may have been a gas explosion, news reports said.