Italian building collapse kills three

An apartment building has collapsed in a town in southern Italy, killing three people in their sleep.

A 10-year-old girl survived and was able to talk to firefighters from under the rubble before she was pulled out alive after several hours, Naples deputy police chief Peolo Iodice said.

State-run RAI showed footage of people applauding as she was rescued and carried away on a stretcher.

It was not immediately clear why the building collapsed at about 1am on Saturday in Afragola, a small town near Naples, police said.

Among those killed were the girl's grandmother and a married couple, Iodice said. ANSA news agency said the couple were found in their bed, their bodies hugging.