Two survivors were found alive under the rubble and six remained missing, authorities said on Sunday.
“We have two great friends still under there; we’re praying to God that they pull them out OK,” local resident Lillo Cavallaro told Reuters.
In the explosion late on Saturday, four houses collapsed and another three were damaged, authorities said.
The blast was probably triggered by a gas leak from the town’s pipes, with an investigation underway.
Gas grid operator Italgas expressed its sorrow and condolences to people in Ravanusa.
It said its emergency service had received no reports of gas leaks last week.
“The Ravanusa distribution network was fully inspected in both 2020 and 2021,” the company said, adding there were no construction sites on the section of pipeline affected.
Local residents in the town of 11,000 people watched on Sunday as firefighters and civil-protection rescuers tried to locate survivors.
“It’s a small town and everyone knows each other,” local man Arcangelo D’Angelo said, adding he knew the missing people.
“What we’re living through here is an unimaginable drama and we have no words.”
Ravanusa is near the southwestern Sicilian city of Agrigento, which is famous for its Greek temples.
- AAP
