At least 10 dead in Mumbai building collapse

A four-storey residential building collapsed Tuesday in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, killing at least 10 people, an official said. Rescuers were looking for several others feared trapped in the rubble. 

"The building crashed with a heavy sound, and we thought there was an earthquake," a local resident told the New Delhi Television news channel.

Fire official Ashok Talpade said dozens of rescuers were at the site in Dongri, a crowded residential section of Mumbai, and had pulled out nine survivors who were taken to hospital, including a child who was allowed to go home after being
treated.

A 16-year-old girl trapped under a heavy door was taken out by rescuers after cutting through iron beams and clearing the debris using hydraulic cutters, the NDTV reported.

Talpade said police were using sniffer dogs in the rescue operation.

Television images showed people forming a human chain to remove the rubble using their hands.

The head of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said the building's location on a narrow lane made rescue and recovery difficult.

"It is only one to two feet wide. NDRF vehicles with rescue equipment can't get to the building," said S.N. Pradhan. "So the team has marched on foot to the site and has carried all the rescue equipment needed to the site on their own."

Modi expresses condolences

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet: "Collapse of a building in Mumbai's Dongri is anguishing. My condolences to the family of those who lost their lives."

Maharashtra state's top elected official, Devendra Fadanavis, told reporters that the building was 100 years old and 15 families were living there. 

Talpade said the families were asked to vacate the dilapidated building some time ago but they continued to live there.

Waris Pathan, an opposition lawmaker, said the building was a death trap, with authorities saying they had no money to rebuild the structure. 

Building collapses are common in India during the June-September monsoon season, when heavy rains weaken the foundations of structures that are poorly constructed. Mumbai was lashed by heavy rains early this month. 

On Sunday, a three-storey building collapsed in a hilly area in the northern Indian town of Solan following heavy rains, killing 14 people.