At least three people were trapped under rubble after an explosion completely destroyed a house in southern Germany on Sunday, police said.

Rescue workers in the state of Bavaria were able to recover a seriously injured woman from the ruins, but authorities said they were still looking for at least three other people, among them a child.

Police in the town of Rettenbach am Auerberg suspect a gas explosion was to blame. The blast reduced the three-story building in a residential area to rubble.

Two other houses were damaged in the blast, one of them severely. Pictures taken on site show only a pile of rubble where the house had earlier stood with debris strewn across the street.

A police spokesman said numerous rescue workers were at the site with the help of a dog to find survivors.