Up to 15 trapped under collapsed building in Georgia

A five-storey building collapsed Friday in Georgia's second city Batumi as authorities deployed hundreds of firemen and medics to rescue victims.

Georgian police said "around 10 to 15 people" were trapped under debris and that it was doing "everything" to get them out alive. 

Two people trapped were confirmed to be alive and were in touch with rescuers by phone, said Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri who visited the site. 

He said "hundreds of rescuers", include firemen, police and emergency doctors, were clearing the rubble. 

Police said a minor was "safely rescued" from a car that was crushed when the building toppled and that other people were evacuated "using special machinery." 

Batumi -- a port town -- is the second largest city in Georgia and lies near the Turkish border in the south-west of the country.