At least 3 dead after Mumbai building collapse; dozens feared trapped

From Neha Sharma, for CNN

updated 4:06 AM EDT, Fri September 27, 2013

 

A five-story building collapsed in Mumbai on Friday, September 27, the latest accident in India's financial capital. Dozens are feared trapped inside. 

 

updated 4:06 AM EDT, Fri September 27, 2013

Sachidanand described it as a "pancake collapse."

NEW: Three people are dead and 12 are being treated in a hospital

• Dozens of people are feared to be trapped in the rubble
• The old residential building in southern Mumbai gave way early Friday
• Around 22 apartments were occupied on the building's upper floors, the owner says

New Delhi (CNN) -- At least three people have been killed after a five-story residential building collapsed in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai early Friday, authorities said.

Dozens of people are feared to be trapped in the wreckage of the city's latest building disaster.

"It's a pancake collapse," said Sachidanand Gawde, deputy commandant at the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). "The exact number of those trapped under the debris is not known," he said.

Around 40 people are feared to be buried in the rubble, CNN's sister network IBN reported, citing the disaster officials.

Of the 15 people recovered from the ruins so far, three have died and 12 are being treated for their injuries at the city's JJ Hospital, Gawde said.

The building, an old construction in southern Mumbai, gave way around 6 a.m. Friday. Fire engines and and ambulances rushed to the scene to carry out rescue efforts, he said.

The first floor of the building was rented out to a decorating firm, but about 22 apartments were occupied on the upper four floors, said Sitaram Kunte, the commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Council, which owns the building.

Several buildings in the Mumbai area have crumbled this year, one of them with disastrous consequences.

                      

                    Mumbai takes on dangerous buildings

In April, scores of people were killed in the collapse of an illegal multistory building in Thane, a city in the Mumbai region.

Deadly collapses have occurred in the city in past years, as well.

Housing rights groups say many old buildings in the city are rundown and neglected, while newer ones are often built using substandard materials and have structural problems.

People live in them because they don't have a choice -- in Mumbai, demand for housing far exceeds supply. About 65% of the population is estimated to live in slums, the groups say.

SOURCE: CNN