Two construction workers died when the ceiling collapsed in a house in Schärding, a small town in Upper Austria near the Bavarian border.

The collapse occurred Tuesday morning during construction work. One worker managed to free himself, but the other two men were trapped under the rubble.

An emergency doctor confirmed the deaths of the two men after several hours of searching, spokesman Markus Oppitz told the Austrian news agency APA on Wednesday morning.

Their bodies were expected to be recovered Wednesday morning. No one else was injured.

The risk of the building collapsing further complicated the rescue operation, forcing rescuers to attempt to enter the building from a neighbouring house.