MOSCOW, June 17 (RIA Novosti) - Three people have been rescued from the rubble of a building which collapsed in central Moscow on Wednesday and at least three others are still trapped, an emergencies official said.

The old building, Sadovnicheskaya Naberezhnaya 78, partially collapsed during renovation work at about 17:00 Moscow time [13:00 GMT]. The area of the collapsed section is about 50 square meters [538 square feet].

Three other people made their way out from under the rubble independently.

Those rescued have been hospitalized. Three people have been spotted motionless under the rubble, and are not responding to shouts, Viktor Klimkin said.

"We still hope they are alive," he said.

Deputy Moscow Mayor Vladimir Resin said those in the building at the time of the collapse are workers from former Soviet republics, who were working and living in the building.

A Moscow construction official said the building collapsed due to unauthorized work to make the basement wider and nine meters deeper.

Resin also said the building, which was protected by law as a historical landmark, would now most likely be demolished "to prevent similar incidents in the future."