At least nine people were killed and dozens trapped after an 11-storey block of flats crumbled in southern India, in the country's latest building disaster.
The tower, which was still being built, collapsed on Saturday evening following heavy rains and crushed mostly labourers working at the site on the outskirts of Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
Senior police officer Karuna Sagar told a TV news station nine bodies had been pulled from the rubble while 31 people had reportledy been rescued and were being treated in hospital.
Sagar added that witnesses described hearing a loud bang before the building collapsed after around 50 workers went inside to shelter from the rain.
Rescuers carry the body of an injured man at the site of a collapsed 11-storey building. Photograph: Babu/REUTERS TV footage showed rescuers scouring the debris on Sunday with shovels as they desperately searched for survivors.
A disaster management official said clearing the debris was "a big challenge" that could take days.
"There is no clarity on the number of people trapped," S. P. Selvan, a senior officer from the National Disaster Response Force, told reporters according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Earlier on Saturday a dilapidated apartment block collapsed in New Delhi, killing 10 people including five children.
Diggers were brought in to sift through the debris in the search for survivors. Photograph: Arun Sankar K/AP Building collapses are common in India where lax regulations and the demand for cheap housing spurs constructions with substandard materials and unauthorised extra floors.
Police have arrested two construction company directors following the Chennai building collapse, it has been reported.
"We will look into all aspects of planning permission and quality of construction, the structure aspect and the soil condition and see what's wrong," Sagar said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu chief minister, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, announced compensation of £2,000 to families of the dead and £500 for those injured.
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