Rescuers continue to scour the rubble after an explosion leveled an apartment building on Sunday just outside Paris, killing seven people including three children.

A team of around 150 rescue personnel worked all day on Sunday after an explosion in a residential building shook the neighborhood of Rosny-sous-Bois at around 7 a.m..

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Rescuers were able to locate six dead victims, including three children.

A 10-year-old boy and two other children aged 14 and 18 were found together with three adults buried under the ruins of the four-story building while two others remain missing.

According to Mayor Claude Capillon, rescuers are not halting the search until the missing people are found, convincing citizens that "there's still hope."

However, prefect Philippe Galli warned that rescue operations should be quick because "the more time that passes the more the chances of finding survivors drops."

According to rescuers, the boy was the first to be found followed by an 80-year-old woman who died while being carried to safety.

During the afternoon, a 40-year-old mother and her child were found, fire department spokesman Gabriel Plus stated.

On Monday, the Associated Press reported another death linked to the explosion as rescuers found a body of an elderly woman. A total of 11 people were wounded in the incident.

Initial investigations revealed that the explosion was ignited by a gas leak though authorities are yet to confirm the exact scenario.

Rescue operations are expected to last for 48 hours as rescuers proceed with utmost care as the damage caused by the explosion may cause the building to cave in.

Described as very loud by some neighbors, the explosion ripped off one side of the building, exposing the inside of the apartments.

Two surviving children were pulled out from the rubble by quick-thinking neighbors. One of them was still alive thanks to a mattress and a board that protected him from the debris.

Authorities cited that the building had necessary licenses and had conformed with building codes.

TagsExplosion, Gas Leak, paris explosion, Paris