BEIJING- A building housing a canteen in China's southwest municipality of Chongqing collapsed on Friday following an explosion suspected to have been caused by a gas leak, killing at least six, state television said.

As of 19:00 local time (11:00 GMT), six bodies had been recovered from the site and nine people brought out alive, while 11 others were still trapped, it reported.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched a team to the scene, in Chongqing's Wulong district. The local fire fighting department had sent 50 vehicles.

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Michael Perry and John Stonestreet) ((Gabriel.Crossley@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 5669 2127;))