At least four people have been killed and more than 30 are trapped after a four-storied building collapsed in the Indian city of Mumbai, officials say.
The cause of the collapse in the Dongri area of southern Mumbai is not clear. Reports say the building was up to 100 years old. Recent monsoon flooding may also have been a factor, reports BBC.
It’s estimated disasters such as this kill about 2,000 people a year in India. Poor construction standards and dilapidated buildings are often blamed.
Rescue teams from the fire department and the national disaster response force are looking for those trapped by debris, officials told reporters.
Local news reports show images of people forming a human chain to remove debris with their bare hands. It’s reported that at least five people, including a child, have been rescued.
#Mumbai: Search and rescue operation underway at Dongri building collapse site. pic.twitter.com/KkKOyC4p3N — ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2019
#Mumbai: Search and rescue operation underway at Dongri building collapse site. pic.twitter.com/KkKOyC4p3N
— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2019
“We heard a loud noise. Everybody shouted, ‘building is falling, the building is falling’. I ran. It felt like a big earthquake,” a witness to the collapse told TV Channels.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered his condolences to the families of the dead.
Dozens of buildings have collapsed in Mumbai and other parts of India in recent years, often during the monsoon season between June and September.
