MUMBAI-
An old, seven-story residential building collapsed Friday in a Mumbai suburb and up to 10 people may be trapped under the debris, Indian officials said.
The building had already been condemned as unsafe when it crashed down into a huge pile of concrete slabs, rubble and dust, Disaster Response Force commander Alok Awasthi said.
Dozens of fire-fighters and emergency workers were digging through the rubble in search for survivors. No casualties were immediately reported.
While the building was officially uninhabited, some families were living there illegally, Awasthi said.
Another dozen or so people had set up makeshift homes at the base of the building in the Santacruz suburb of India’s west-coast financial capital.
“Our rough estimate is that there are around eight to 10 people feared trapped inside. Rescue operations are going on,” he said.
Building collapses are common in India, where high demand for housing and lax regulations has encouraged some builders to cut corners, use substandard materials or add unauthorized extra floors.