Death toll rises at collapsed building in Mumbai

(Vatican Radio) Rescue efforts are under way at a collapsed building in Mumbai, in western India, as many are thought to be still trapped in the rubble. On Saturday morning, the death toll was at 25 and expected to rise, while 32 people had so far been rescued alive.


Listen to Giulia Cirillo's report:


The 5-storey building collapsed just after 6am local time near Dockyard Road, in the south-east of the city. It was allegedly owned by the city’s municipal authority. A municipality spokesman has said that the building was around 30 years old, and that residents had been issued a notice to vacate last April, although he did not explain why the families had been asked to leave.


Property prices and rent in Mumbai are among the highest in Asia, which is why many citizens are forced to live in dilapidated or dangerous buildings. Over 100 people have been killed in 5 building collapses in Mumbai since April of this year.