Death toll in building collapse in India's Mumbai rises to 35

MUMBAI -- The death toll from a residential building collapse at Bhiwandi, 38 km west of Mumbai, rose to 35 as rescue operation continued on Wednesday 52 hours after the tragedy.

The casualties include 12 kids while 25 people with multiple injuries have been admitted to hospital after the three-storey building collapsed early on Monday when the residents were asleep.

As the debris was getting cleared from the structure that housed 40 flats with around 150 residents, the police have booked the owner of the collapsed building for culpable homicide, claiming "neither did he take efforts to repair the building's broken pillar, nor did he convince people to vacate the building."

Two officials were also suspended in connection with the incident, the spokesperson for the civic body said.

The monsoon season during June-September with torrential rains are often blamed for collapse of dilapidated and illegally built buildings in India. Last month, over a dozen people died after a building collapsed in the industrial town of Mahad, 165 km south of Mumbai.

Most of the residents in the ill-fated building were autorickshaw drivers, vendors or laborers, who stayed at a monthly rent of 40.8-54.4 U.S. dollars.

Bhiwandi, a textile hub with largest power looms in Asia's third-largest economy, has turned into a logistics hub with e-commerce companies having their warehouses to cater to Mumbai's consumer demand.

"There was a power loom at the ground floor of the building where some workers are believed to be asleep when the building caved in," said Milind Palsule, public relation officer of the local civic body.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had expressed their condolences on this unfortunate incident.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, 38,363 people lost their lives due to collapse of various structures between 2001-2015, most of which were collapse of residential houses.