Latest: 19 dead as building collapses in Mumbai after torrential rain

Torrential rain in India has caused a five-storey apartment building to collapse in Mumbai, killing 19 people and possibly burying more than a dozen others, police said.

Latest: 19 dead as building collapses in Mumbai after torrential rain

Update 5.30pm: Torrential rain in India has caused a five-storey apartment building to collapse in Mumbai, killing 19 people and possibly burying more than a dozen others, police said.

Rescuers, residents and police officers managed to pull 30 injured people from the rubble, but more than a dozen were missing and feared trapped.

The building was one of thousands in Mumbai that are more than 100 years old, with foundations that have been weakened by years of heavy monsoon rains.

Earlier: A five-storey building has collapsed in Mumbai, killing seven people and injuring 13 others after torrential rain lashed western India.

Another 25 people are feared trapped in the debris in a congested area of Bhendi Bazaar in the south of India's financial capital.

Rescue workers, police and residents helped pull 13 people out of the rubble and are looking for more.

Thousands of Mumbai buildings that are more than 100 years old are at risk of collapse, their foundations weakened by some of the heaviest rain the city has witnessed in more than 15 years.

Authorities advised people living in an adjacent building to leave after it developed cracks following Thursday's collapse.

A police official at the site said it was not immediately clear how many people were trapped in the building.

"We are asking people to check if their family members are safe and accounted for," said Manoj Sharma. He said nine families lived in the building.

A nursery school was located in the ground floor of the building, but the collapse occurred before the toddlers had arrived for the day.

Building collapses are common in India during the monsoon season, which is June to September. High demand and lax regulations encourage some builders to use substandard materials or add unauthorised extra floors.

A policeman makes an announcement on a loudspeaker at the site of building collapse.
A policeman makes an announcement on a loudspeaker at the site of building collapse.

The city is slowly limping back to normality after it was paralysed by heavy downpours for two days.

Train services and public transport were halted and airports shut on Tuesday as roads turned into rivers and floodwaters seeped into many low-lying buildings.

In many places, people had to abandon their vehicles and wade through waist-deep water to reach their homes.

Schools, colleges and offices that were shut on Wednesday reopened on Thursday, but attendance was sparse.

Every year the city struggles to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about its poor planning.

The body of a victim is carried out from the site
The body of a victim is carried out from the site

AP

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