A gas explosion tore through a five-storey apartment building, killing 17 people and injuring another 15 in eastern France, authorities said yesterday. Most of the deaths were caused by the collapse of three floors above where the blast took place on Sunday, officials said. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 60, they said. Locating the missing was complicated by the need to remove collapsed concrete beams. "It was clearly caused by a gas leak," said Capt Bertrand Weckel, a spokesman for regional emergency services said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Rescue workers clear rubble and debris Monday Dec.27, 2004 on the explosion site of a five-story apartment building, in Mulhouse, eastern France. (AP)