One person has died and at least 15 others have been rescued from the building that collapsed at around dawn in Kenya's coastal town of Malindi.

The eight-storey building fell on to several nearby houses and a petrol station.

Soldiers, police, firemen and Red Cross workers are amongst those helping at the scene.

"We are still searching for more people although we are cautious to avoid further disaster bearing in mind there are explosive substances such as petrol, kerosene and gas at the petrol station,” Hassan Musa, from the Red Cross, is quoted by Kenya's Daily Nation as saying.

Police had to spray crowds with water to disperse those coming to witness the rescue operation, the Daily Nation reports.

According to Kenya's Standard newspaper, some people have blamed heavy rains over the past two days for the collapse.