A three-storied building on the outskirts of Mumbai has collapsed in the early morning hours as residents slept inside, killing at least 10 people, according to officials.
A further 20 to 25 people are reportedly trapped in the building in Bhiwandi – about 40km (25 miles) from Mumbai – the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Monday.
Emergency workers from the NDRF team pulled 19 people from the rubble – including two boys aged four and seven and at least 10 confirmed deaths.
More than 40 emergency workers, including a team of 30 rescuers from the NDRF, were pressed into action for the rescue operation. The accident in the city of Bhiwandi occurred at approximately 3:40 am local time (22:10 GMT on Sunday), local authorities said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter. “Praying for a quick recovery of those injured. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to the affected,” he wrote.
The building had been on a list of dangerous buildings and a notice for it to be vacated had been issued, the Times of India reported, citing Pankaj Ashiya, a commissioner in the Bhiwandi-Nizampura City Municipal Corporation.
Last month, at least 13 people were killed after a five-storey building collapsed in Mahad, an industrial town about 165km (100 miles) south of Mumbai. In 2017, National Crime Records Bureau data showed that more than 1,200 people were killed in building collapses nationwide.
Source: Aljazeera
