India, March 22 -- Two buildings collapsed in central Istanbul's Fatih district on Sunday following a gas explosion, triggering an immediate search and rescue operation.

Authorities said the blast occurred around noon, leaving nine people trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams were deployed to the site shortly after the incident, news agency AP reported.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said seven people had been pulled from the debris and were undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals. State-run broadcaster TRT reported that an eighth person was also rescued and taken to hospital.

Rescue efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining individual. TRT said none of the injured is in critical condition.

One of the collapsed structures was a two-s...