Rio high-rise collapses with reports of 11 dead

Police reportedly cordoned off the area and cut off electricity

Part of a building nearly 20 storeys high has collapsed in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaving rubble strewn across a wide area.

Emergency services were quoted in TV reports as saying that at least 11 people had been killed or injured, as masonry covered cars and buses.
The cause is not yet known but witnesses spoke of an explosion before the collapse and a strong smell of gas.
Dozens of firefighters and emergency workers are at the scene.
Police have cordoned off the area and electricity to the street has been cut off for safety reasons, reports the AP news agency.