India: Mumbai building collapse kills at least 19

A four-storey residential building collapsed in India’s financial capital of Mumbai, killing at least 19 people, with more feared trapped under the rubble, officials said on Tuesday.

Part of the building, located in a crowded suburb in the central part of the city, crumbled around midnight on Monday, the city’s civic body BMC said.

Rescue workers were working to pull out debris and rubble until late on Tuesday. Heavy rain hampered the work.

Building collapses are common in Mumbai during monsoon season, mostly due to poor construction.

“People living in the building were asked to vacate the houses five to six years ago. Every year a notice was sent to them, but no one left,” said Suvrana Bansode, a resident living close to the building that collapsed.