At least 38 people, including 11 children, were killed and many others injured when an under construction building collapsed in India.

Mumbai, April 5/Nationalturk – At least 38 people, including 11 children, were killed and many others injured when an under construction building collapsed in Thane area of India’s financial capital Mumbai last evening.

“The seven-storey building at Shil Phata area of Thane, Mumbai collapsed into a mangled heap of steel and concrete more than 20 feet high last evening,” an official said.

A disaster management official said 38 people, including 11 children and eight women, have died in the building collapse. “Over 50 people have been injured. The injured have been shifted to various hospitals and doctors have termed condition of some of them as critical”.

He said 17 injured have been discharged from the hospital. “We fear that some people may be trapped in the building”.

The officials said rescue work was launched immediately after the news came that the building has collapsed. “The rescue workers are still searching through the wreckage to save the people trapped under the debris.  This morning, rescue workers extricated five minors alive but injured from the debris”.

Over a dozen fire tenders along with over 24 ambulances were stationed at the site of the accident.

It was an unauthorized building: Official

Officials said most of the dead men were construction workers. “At the time of incident, there were around 35 families in the building”, they said adding homes and offices had been set within the building and 8th floor was under construction.

They said the building was unauthorised. “It was built on forest land and was occupied at least up to the fourth floor.”

The spokesman of Thane municipal corporation Sandeep Malwi confirmed that the building was unauthorized. “The building was an unauthorised construction. We are going to investigate thoroughly into this and prepare a report,” he said.

Police have registered a case of culpable homicide against the builders, who have reportedly gone underground

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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News