1st LD Writethru: 5 die in building collapse near Mumbai

At least five people have been killed and 10 others injured after a two-storeyed building collapsed near Mumbai Sunday, a senior police official said.

The death toll may go up as some 15 others are feared trapped under the debris of the building that collapsed at Bhiwandi in Thane near Mumbai around 5 a.m. local time, he said.

"Eight families were residing in the building. While five bodies have been pulled out of the debris by rescuers, 10 people were brought out alive," the official said, on condition of anonymity.

The 10 injuried people have been rushed to a nearby hospital where the condition of a few are said to be serious, he said.

Local TV channels showed footage of rescue operations being carried out by the fire brigade and the disaster management officials.

The building was declared dangerous by local civic authorities and it was in a dilapidated state, a senior official told the local media.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the police official said.

Building collapses are common in India because of poor construction practices fuelled by the demand for low-cost housing for the country's growing middle-class. Endit