Baby found in rubble after home explodes

A baby was found in the rubble of a house that was destroyed by a suspected gas explosion in which four people died and seven were injured

The blast occurred around Wednesday noon and obliterated the two-storey house in Salem. It scattered remnants of wood, cinder blocks, insulation, clothes and furniture and other rubble as far as 100 yards away, the New York Daily News reported.

Eleven people were in the house when the explosion took place, neighbours stated.

Authorities said a woman who lived at the house, a young man whose uncle lived there and an 18-year-old woman from Hudson Falls, New York, were killed at the scene.

Another person died at the hospital later.

State police said they were still investigating the cause of the explosion, but they suspected a leaking propane tank was involved.

Residents of the rural community, 40 miles northeast of capital Albany, said the blast could be heard for miles.

A neighbour, Joseph Brandmeyer, told WNYT television that he ran to the scene after hearing the blast and began pulling survivors from the rubble, including a baby.

"I pulled the baby out and got her there on the grass and she started to breathe," Brandmeyer told the station.