A suspected gas explosion caused the collapse of a three-storey girls dormitory in Turkey on Friday, killing at least 17 students.

Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay said 27 girls have been pulled from the rubble, some with serious burn injuries. Rescue workers say they have been able to hear the voices of victims still buried beneath the debris.

Officials say more than 40 girls between the ages of eight and 16 had been staying at the dormitory while attending classes on the Koran in the school near the central town of Taskent, Konya province.

Officials in Taskent say it appears that a gas leak caused the explosion.

In 2004, an 11-storey apartment building collapsed in Konya, killing 92 residents. The collapse was blamed on faulty refurbishment work.

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