Tel Aviv building collapse: At least two dead after crane collapses in Israel

Israeli Defence Force search and rescue teams are on the scene

The scene of a building collapse in Tel Aviv (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

At least two people have died after a crane collapsed onto a nearby structure in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Police said four people were still missing and believed trapped under the debris.

Twenty people were treated for injuries after rescue teams were called on Monday to a four-storey car park under construction in the Ramat Hachayal district.

Officials are still trying to determine the cause of the incident but a fire brigade spokesperson said part of the three-storey structure had initially collapsed, causing a crane to fall and bring down more of the partially-completed parking building.

"When I arrived at the scene I encountered injured people who had extricated themselves from the construction site, where a roof apparently collapsed on top of a parking lot," Moshe Levy, a volunteer paramedic told Haaretz.

"While we were administering first aid we received reports there were still people trapped inside."

Local politician Eli Alalouf, chairman of the Knesset Labour Committe, said: "I am shocked at the reports of the difficult incident at the Tel Aviv construction site. We have cautioned against such nightmares as that unfolding before our eyes,"

The neighbourhood is home to many hi-tech businesses, restaurants and a hospital.