Building collapses in Brazil's Rio

Rescuers could not find those missing

Rescuers looking for survivors or victims after a building collapsed in Rio de Janeiro's business district have given up their search for the night.

The five-storey block - which included a hotel, restaurant and shop - crumbled on to the pavement in the financial heart of the Brazilian city.

Several people were feared buried in the debris and at least two passers-by were taken to hospital. More than four hours after the collapse, no bodies or survivors had been recovered.

The city's civil defense department said the chances of anyone surviving trapped beneath the rubble were slim.

Rescue operations were due to resume on Thursday morning.

Rio fire department spokesman Jorge Lopes said there was a "great possibility of victims".

"We have information that there were people in the building, but we don't know if they were in the restaurant or on other floors," he said.

Police sealed off Rosario Street to prevent crowds of onlookers hampering the work of rescuers.

Rescue work was being done mainly by hand as nearby colonial-era buildings would be unlikely to withstand heavy machinery.

The cause of the collapse - which happened at about 1500 local time (1800 GMT) - was not known, but the building was said to be an old structure made of bricks and wood beams.

There were reports of rain and high winds battering the city on the previous night.