7 dead as 100-yrs-old building collapses in Mumbai

At least seven people have died and rescuers are searching for dozens who are feared trapped in a building collapse in Mumbai, police say.

A six-storey building toppled over in India’s financial capital on Thursday.

The building in the densely populated Bhendi Bazaar area was believed to be about 100 years old.

According to BBC, ambulances, fire engines and members of the disaster relief force are working at the site. Mumbai is recovering from heavy rains and flooding.

The residential building gave way around 08:40 India time [03:10 GMT], reports said.

“Forty people are believed to be stuck inside and a 43-member team is conducting rescue operations,” an official for India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) told AFP.

Building accidents are not uncommon in India, particularly during the monsoon season. Poor construction standards and dilapidation are often to blame.

Every year, dozens of people are killed in building collapses across India.

There have been three in Mumbai in the past month. In July, 17 people were killedwhen a four-storey building collapsed in the suburb of Ghatkopar.