The body of an 80-year-old grandmother was recovered from the rubble of a residential building which collapsed after a gas explosion near the southern Italian city of Naples.

According to the fire brigade, in the early hours of Monday, the woman from the small town of Saviano was found dead during the night.

The body of a 41-year-old woman and two of her children, aged four and six, had been recovered on Sunday following the explosion.

However, the woman’s 40-year-old husband and another child, aged two, were taken to hospital with serious injuries on Sunday.

The couple and their three children lived on the first floor of the building. The grandmother lived one floor up.

According to local authorities, the explosion occurred around 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT).

Initially, a gas cylinder in the grandmother’s flat was believed to be the cause of the blast, though the exact circumstances of the incident were initially unclear.

Saviano is located in the hinterland of Naples, around 30 kilometres from the city’s centre. 

(dpa/NAN)