Images showed that half of the building appeared to have subsided on Calle Limon in the Playa Flamenca area of the resort town.

Authorities evacuated 8 homes within Laguna II urbanization as a precaution after two buildings collapsed around 8am on Wednesday.

The two Brits rescued from within the property were reported to have suffered only “light injuries” and were treated at the local hospital in Torrevieja. One was said to be suffering from “shock”.

Firefighters had to cut through security bars covering the window in order to reach one of them and pull them out. The other was lifted from a rooftop.

Canine sniffer dogs trained in search and rescue were brought in to check if anyone else was trapped in the rubble but they found nothing and no-one was reported missing.

The villa was divided into two flats, one above the other and was similar to others in the complex. The evacuated buildings were home to 15 people according to El Mundo newspaper which reported that both those rescued were men in their 60s.

Emilio Bascuñana, the mayor of Orihuela, visited the area and confirmed that the two rescued were British. Hepledged to help anyone in need of accommodation while an investigation was carried out into the cause of the collapse.

Meanwhile the British expat community rallied round offering support.

The message above was posted on the Costa Blanca South Chat group on Facebook.