Mumbai: Eight children and three adults were killed and seven other people injured after two floors of a three-storey building collapsed on an adjoining single-storey house in Malwani area of Mumbai, officials said on Thursday.
The incident took place around 11.15 pm on Wednesday at the New Collector Compound on Abdul Hamid Road in the Malwani area, they said.
While earlier civic officials said a single-storey house had collapsed, they later said it was a three-storey building.
According to police, the building was constructed illegally and after the incident, its contractor was being questioned.
The second and third floors of the three-storey building collapsed on the adjoining single-storey house, said Santosh Dhonde, acting ward officer of the city's P-North ward.
Fire brigade and other agencies immediately rushed to the spot and started a search and rescue operation, the official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
Eight children and three adults died, he said, adding that most of the deceased were from two separate families.
Seven others were injured and the condition of one of them was critical, he said.
People rescued from under the debris were taken to nearby hospitals, he added.
The deceased have been identified as - Sahil Sarfaraz Sayyed (9), Arifa Sheikh (9), Shafiq Md Saleem Siddiqui (45), Tausif Shafiq Siddiqui (15), Aalisha Shafiq Siddiqui (10), Alfisa Shafiq Siddiqui (1.5 years), Afina Shafik Siddiqui (6), Ishrat Bano Shafiq Siddiqui (40), Rahisa Bano Rafik Siddiqui (40), Tahes Safik Siddiqui (12) and John Irranna (13).
According to civic and fire brigade officials, some people might still be trapped under the rubble and the search and rescue operations were on.
As per the BMC, the collapsed building was located on collector's land and its owner got permission from the collector's office while constructing a permanent structure.
However, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Vishwas Nangre Patil told reporters that the building was constructed illegally and had serious structural faults.
During cyclone Tauktae last month, the building suffered certain damages, he said, adding that Wednesday's incident could have been averted if proper precautions had been taken.
"We are registering an offence under section 304 (2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and will take effective action in this case," the police official said.
The offence is being registered against the building's contractor and owner, the official said.
The contractor has already been taken into custody for an enquiry, he added.