At least 24 killed in Mumbai building collapse

At least 24 have been killed and 15 are feared trapped when a building collapsed in Mumbai, India’s financial capital. The collapse follows days of heavy rain that swamped the city.

Al Jazeera reports that rescuers using diggers could be seen sifting through the remains of the four-storey residential building, which gave way around 08:40am (03:10 GMT) in the densely populated area of Bhendi Bazaar.

Nearly a dozen others were missing and feared to be trapped beneath the huge mound of broken concrete slabs and twisted steel girders. 

There was a massive bang. We couldn't see anything due to the dust and smoke. Once the dust settled, we realised it was a building collapse," area resident Amina Sheikh told Reuters news agency.

An official in the control room of India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said: "A 43-member team is conducting rescue operations."

Later reports suggested more rescuers had joined the search operation.