Eleven people were killed and 24 others injured when an over 100-year-old building collapsed in Mumbai on Tuesday, prompting the Maharashtra government to order an inquiry into the mishap.
Also See: Mumbai's crumbling heritage
"Thirty-five people were removed from the debris of the four-storeyed 'Sadaf' building in Nagpada area that collapsed
at around 1:15 am," fire brigade sources told PTI.
"All of them were shifted to nearby J J Hospital where 11 were declared dead on arrival," hospital sources said.
Of the 24 injured, seven have been discharged, they said. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who visited the site,
announced that the chief engineer of Public Works Department would probe the collapse.
"I have also asked the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority vice-chairman to submit an interim report on the incident by Tuesday evening so that action can be taken against engineers and others responsible for the tragedy," Deshmukh told reporters.
Each floor of the building had four flats, fire brigade sources said.
A senior fire brigde official said the exact figure of casualties would be known only after the rubble is cleared.
The chief minister, who also visited the J J Hospital, said the state government would give compensation for the kin
of those who died and pay for the medical treatment of the injured.
"We reached the building 10 minutes after it collapsed. I was trying to help the people who were trapped. In the process, I injured my leg," Abdul Amin Seth, a resident of a nearby building, told rediff.com.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had earlier served a notice to residents of the building, asking them to vacate it as it was old and dilapidated.
With PTI Inputs