India building collapse death toll rises to 17

NEW DELHI - The death toll in a building collapse in India's Maharashtra state has risen to 17, while 11 others were rescued in injured condition from the rubbles, officials said Wednesday.

The 40-year-old four-storey building collapsed on Tuesday in Ghatkopar, an eastern suburb of Mumbai, India's financial capital.

"We pulled out 17 bodies and 11 survivors from the debris of the collapsed building," a senior official of disaster management cell at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

"Of the injured, six persons have been discharged, while five others are still admitted in hospital."

Meanwhile, rescue teams from disaster response force, fire brigade personnel, police as well as locals are searching underneath the rubbles to locate survivors and retrieve bodies.

Local officials feared 30 to 40 people were trapped under the debris.

Reports said around 15 to 16 families used to reside on three floors of the building, with a nursing home operating on the ground floor.

Officials said the nursing home was vacant at the time of collapse. However, the owner was carrying out illegal renovation in the building. Police have detained the owner.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered in-depth enquiry and asked BMC commissioner to submit report in 15 days. He assured strict action against the culprits.

Deadly accidents due to failing infrastructure (either new or old) is common in India.

Construction experts blame the lax administration and corruption for flouting building rules that often results in using poor quality materials, inadequate supervision and poor safety standards for workers.