French authorities say a four-storey apartment building in a northeastern Paris suburb has partially collapsed after an explosion, killing a child. More people are thought to be underneath the rubble.

Speaking on i-Tele, fire department spokesman Gabriel Plus said around 10 people were forced to leave the building. The disaster occurred in Rosny-sous-Bois early Sunday morning.

Paris-explosion

A French firefighter and his dog search in the rubble of a building after an explosion collapsed it in the Paris suburb of Rosny-sous-Bois on Sunday. The explosion collapsed a four-storey building, killing a child and leaving at least 10 people trapped in the rubble, fire department officials said. (Christophe Ena/Associated Press)

Plus said that around another 10 people could still be underneath the rubble, and emergency teams were working hard to rescue people who might be trapped.

"We could still find living victims in the hours to come," he said.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has arrived at the scene but couldn't confirm a theory that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. He said that people living in the remaining two thirds of the building have been given alternative lodging, since the entire structure is perilous.

Speaking from La Rochelle Sunday at a socialist party conference, Prime Minister Manuel Valls began his speech by sending out a "message of solidarity" to the victims of the catastrophe.