A residential tower block has collapsed in Brazil after a huge blaze tore through the building in the middle of the night - leaving several residents trapped.   

One person has been confirmed dead so far - with further fatalities expected to be announced over the coming hours.   

The catastrophic collapse was caught on camera in the city of Sao Paulo as horrified onlookers filmed the unfolding carnage.   

The block then suddenly bursts into a bright ball of fire - before a whole side of the building comes crashing down to earth.   

A number of residents can be seen on the upper floors of the building screaming for help in the clip.   
Local news outlets reported that the building was occupied by homeless people from the local area.   
Flabio Gabia, a receptionist who works in a nearby hotel, told Estadao: ‘When I went to see what it was, the streets, which were deserted, were filled with people desperately trying to 
get away.’   

According to local media, the building was 26-floors tall and formerly served as the headquarters of the Sao Paulo district’s federal police.   

It is also claimed that the building’s homeless occupants were living there illegally at the time of the fire.   

The fire was said to have begun on the fifth floor at around 1.30 am local time, before spreading rapidly to the upper levels - leaving the frightened inhabitants no time to escape.   

Emergency services have cordoned off vast swathes of the city centre - with 160 firefighters and paramedics battling to free those trapped in the rubble.
Brazil, (Daily Mail), 1 May 2018