Sao Paulo (CNN) -- Brazilian rescuers intensified their search for victims in the rubble of three collapsed buildings in Rio de Janeiro Friday, though they are yet to find any survivors.
Seven bodies have been recovered and 20 people are reported missing, the Rio de Janeiro fire department said, according to the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency.
It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse of a 20-story building and adjacent 10- and 4-story buildings on Wednesday night. Officials said they were investigating both the possibility of a gas leak and a structural failure.
Sergio Cabral, the governor of Rio de Janeiro state, declared three days of mourning for the victims.
The city's medical examiner's office has begun identifying the victims.
Among those who died in the collapse was Cornelio Ribeiro Lopes, 73, who was the doorman for one of the buildings, Agencia Brasil reported. He lived there with his wife, Margarida Vieira de Carvalho, who is among the missing, the agency reported.
The crews at the scene were intensifying their search efforts Friday, according to Agencia Brasil.
Rescuers said that one of the biggest challenges in finding people was the dust cloud that floats in the area.
The accident came at a delicate time for Rio de Janeiro as the city prepares to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games two years later.
The buildings were just steps from the emblematic Municipal Theater, where U.S. President Barack Obama gave a speech last year.
- CNN
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