Highlights
- The building was more than a century old
- 10 families were living inside despite its dilapidated condition
- PM Modi tweeted his condolences to the victims' families, describing the incident as 'anguishing'
- Officials from the Mumbai Police, Mumbai Fire Brigade and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducting rescue operations, with the help of locals in the area
UPDATE
Mumbai: Seven people were killed and at least 40 others are feared trapped under the rubble after a building collapsed as heavy monsoon rains lashed India's financial capital Mumbai on Tuesday, officials said, the second such tragedy in two weeks.
Torrential downpours have swept away homes, triggered landslides and claimed at least 180 lives across South Asia.
The numbers were given by disaster management spokesman Tanaji Kamble following the building collapse in southern Mumbai's congested Dongri area.
Two teams from India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as well as local volunteers, the fire department and police officials were scouring the rubble for survivors.
Volunteers could be seen recovering household items including furniture from the debris.
"The building collapse sounded like an earthquake and we rushed to the spot to check the loud noise," a local resident told Indian news channel NDTV.
Another resident said the building was more than a century old and had 10 families living inside despite its dilapidated condition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences to the victims' families, describing the incident as "anguishing".
Earlier this month, a wall collapsed in the city, killing 29 people.
Building collapses in Mumbai, home to 20 million people, are common during the monsoon season because rickety structures buckle under the weight of continuous rain.
