At least 47 dead in school collapse.

RESCUE crews working under floodlights dug through the rubble of a collapsed school in Haiti early today in a frantic search for pupils who may still be trapped, in a disaster that has already killed at least 47 people.

It is not known howmany were in the school when it collapsed yesterday morning, but authorities said about 500 children and teenagers typically crowded into the three-storey concrete building of College La Promesse, Port-au-Prince, which served classes from nursery to secondary high school.

The rescue effort by Red Cross workers, UN peacekeepers and Haitian authorities was hampered by thousands of desperate people, who blocked the narrow street and fought with school officials to enter the building in search of their children and friends.

UN peacekeepers and Haitian police were able to establish some order, but were unable to get heavy equipment to the scene, leaving rescuers to work with their hands.

At least 39 bodies were taken to the mortuary at Port-au-Prince's General Hospital, Haitian police said. Another eight died in a trauma centre and more than 80 others were being treated for injuries.

Several nearby houses were damaged in the collapse.

Neighbours suspected the building was poorly rebuilt after it partially collapsed eight years ago, said a French teacher at the school.

The building's third storey was still under construction.

CAPTION(S):

SEARCH: Residents remove rubble and concrete looking for victims and survivors, left while a firefighter carries a child who was rescued from under the remains of the school, below