At least nine people lost their lives after a four-storey residential building collapsed in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi late on Thursday night, with officials saying several others are still feared trapped beneath the debris.
Municipal authorities said the building, which housed 48 rooms—12 on each floor—collapsed at around 11.30 pm. The civic body had previously classified the structure as dangerous, and repair work was underway when the incident occurred.
Residents said they heard loud cracking noises coming from the building at around 9 pm. Concerned by the sounds, locals alerted the authorities, who began evacuating families from the premises. However, while some residents were still leaving, the building's B Wing suddenly gave way.
Fire officials said six bodies have been recovered from the rubble so far, with most of the victims believed to be workers carrying out repair work on the building.
They added that six people have been rescued from the debris, while an injured boy was pulled out and taken to a nearby hospital. Officials suspect that a few more people remain trapped under the collapsed structure, and rescue operations are continuing.
A massive rescue effort involving multiple agencies is underway. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), the local fire brigade and police are engaged in the operation. A dog squad, four fire engines, two ambulances and heavy earth-moving equipment have also been deployed at the site.
Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation Assistant Municipal Commissioner Arvind Ghogare said officials rushed to the location after receiving reports that the building had developed cracks.
"When we reached, we saw that the building was cracking up. We went inside with our team and evacuated the residents," he said.
According to Ghogare, most residents left after being instructed to evacuate, although "some women initially said they wanted to stay back to eat." He added that the building, believed to be just over 10 years old, was undergoing unauthorised repair work when it collapsed.
"While the residents were brought out, the workers engaged in the repair work did not come out. About five of them are believed to be inside," he said, adding that the building collapsed just minutes after the evacuation was completed.
Authorities are continuing search and rescue operations to locate those still believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
