Raigad building collapse: Two killed, over 60 rescued, many feared to be trapped under debris

People removing the debris as 3 floors of a 5-storey building collapsed, at Mahad of Raigad district, Maharashtra.

With rescue operations in full swing in the huge mound of rubble of the erstwhile Tarique Garden, at least seven more injured victims were found in addition to more than 25 others rescued on Monday night. Above: NDRF personnel sift through the rubble in search of survivors.

Rescue workers removes the debris as they look for survivor. Maharashtra Minister Aditi Tatkare on Tuesday said that at least 60 people were rescued and at least 30 are still feared to be trapped under the debris after a five-storey building in Mahad of Maharashtra's Raigad district collapsed.

NDRF officials carry a dead body which was recovered from the debris.

"Around 60 people rescued, 25-30 are still feared to be trapped under the debris. Three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are here. Two deaths reported so far. Injured are being treated and some are discharged," said Tatkare.

"Those with serious injuries were taken to Mumbai for advanced treatment. The probe has begun. We wish that Special Investigation Team should be constituted," Tatkare added.

People console each other near the site of a collapsed five-storey apartment building.

The structure comprised 47 flats, police in the town of Mahad - 120 kilometres south of Mumbai - said in a statement.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear but building collapses are common during India's June-September monsoon, with old and rickety structures buckling under the weight of non-stop rain.

Three rescue teams, armed with specialised equipment and sniffer dogs, had been deployed to the scene of the accident, a statement from India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said, with Home Minister Amit Shah tweeting that he was "praying for everyone's safety".

A man reacts near the site of a collapsed five-storey apartment building.

Local residents and police combed through tin sheets, metal rods and other wreckage in a desperate search for survivors as ambulances ferried victims to nearby hospitals.

Rescue workers search for people

People removing the debris

Rescue workers look for survivors

Rescue workers remove the debris as they search for survivors

Police personnel at the spot