India building collapse near Mumbai kills 27

[Dingswayo]

At least 27 people have died and dozens more are injured after a building under construction collapsed near the Indian city of Mumbai, police say.

Many others are feared trapped beneath the seven-storey building in Thane, Indian media report, quoting officials.

Police said the building was being constructed illegally and four floors were already occupied.

Building collapses are common in India. Poor construction material and practices are often blamed.

A section of the building collapsed on Thursday evening bringing the entire structure down, a police official in Thane, Maharashtra state, told AFP.

He said nine children were among the dead.


Rescue efforts continued through the night.


Police Inspector Digamber Jangale said at least 54 people had been injured.


Most of the victims were construction workers who were staying in the building, he added.


One witness, named only as Ramlal, said the building appeared to tilt before quickly collapsing.


"The building collapsed like a pack of cards within three to four seconds," he said.

In December at least 13 people died when part of a half-constructed building collapsed in the Wagholi area of Maharashtra.
Last September at least six people were killed when a building collapsed in Pune city in Maharashtra.

 

[Lupweko]

Wahindi ni wachakachuaji sana, hasa kwenye mambo ya vibali vibali

 

[kisu]

New Delhi (CNN) -- At least 27 people have died and dozens have been injured after a building still under construction collapsed in western India, police said Friday.

The building, in Thane, about 10 kilometers northeast of central Mumbai, caved in on Thursday evening, injuring 59 people, said Digambar Jangale, a local police official.

Rescuers are still searching through the wreckage, he said, and five children are among those pulled alive from the rubble so far Friday.

Jangale put the death toll at 27, slightly lower than the 29 dead reported earlier Friday by CNN sister network IBN, which cited Manoj Gohad, a senior local official.

Gohad, who has the administrative title of deputy collector for Thane, told IBN that people were illegally occupying the first four floors of the building even though it hadn't been completed or authorized.

Jangale said the eighth floor was still under construction when the building gave way.

The collapse might have been the result of poor construction, he said, but authorities are still investigating what caused it.

Police have registered a case of culpable homicide against the builder of the structure, who is yet to be traced, according to IBN.

 

[kbm]

... Duh! Ndugu zetu wamekuja na Style isiyofaa kabisa, kwa ajili ya kutaka utajiri wa haraka.
... Hapa Dar boss wa gorofa lililoporomoka alikuwa indian, na huko kwao vileveli...
"shame on them !"