Mumbai building collapse death toll reaches 33
MUMBAI: The death toll from a building collapse in India's commercial capital Mumbai jumped to 33 yesterday after rescuers pulled more than a dozen bodies from the rubble overnight.
Officials said 22 men, eight women and three children died when the residential building gave way on Thursday morning in the densely populated area of Bhendi Bazaar following heavy rains.
The 117-year-old building had been declared unsafe and was due to be demolished as part of a redevelopment project that is transforming Bhendi Bazaar, a scruffy colonial-era market.
"Overnight we pulled out 15 bodies, taking the total death count to 33," said Mr Tanaji Kamble, a disaster management spokesman for Mumbai's civic authority.
The dead included a 12-year-old boy and two girls aged 11 and 14, and 12 other people were being treated for injuries at a hospital, he added.
Rescuers were still picking through the debris yesterday morning in the hope of finding more survivors.
It was the latest deadly housing collapse to strike the cityand came following severe rains that have wreaked havoc in many parts of South Asia.- AFP
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