11 killed as 3-story building collapses under heavy rain
A three-story dilapidated building collapsed following heavy monsoon rains in the western Indian city of Mumbai, killing at least 11 people and injuring seven others, police said Thursday.
Dozens of rescuers were clearing the debris to find any residents possibly still trapped, police officer Ravindra Kadam said.
Kadam said the building collapsed late Wednesday. Heavy monsoon rains during the day had flooded several parts of the city that is India’s financial and entertainment capital.
The New Delhi Television channel said the building collapsed onto another structure in a slum in the Malad West area of Mumbai.
Residents joined the fire and police officers in rescuing people and they took the seven injured to a hospital in the suburban Kandivali area.
Mumbai recorded 222 millimeters (8 inches) of rain in 12 hours. Tidal waves that reached up to 4. 6 meters (13 feet) prevented the rainfall from being drained, and roads, rail tracks and neighborhoods were left waterlogged.
Building collapses are common in India during the June-September monsoon season when heavy rains weaken the foundations of structures that are poorly built.
In 2019, a three-story building collapsed in a hilly area in the northern Indian town of Solan following heavy rains, killing 14 people. A four-story building collapsed in Mumbai the same year and killed 10 people.
