At least 20 people were killed and 21 others injured when part of a five-story building collapsed after heavy monsoon rains in downtown Mumbai, police said Wednesday. “There could be more people trapped under the debris,” said police officer Dheeraj Chauhan, adding that torrential rains were hampering rescue efforts. The four-story 70-year-old Rangoli building, on the Datta Mandir road in the Bhendi Bazaar area of south Mumbai, came crashing down around 5.35 A.M., catching most victims unaware in their sleep. Police said 11 people died in the wreckage while nine others who were critically injured died later in hospitals. The building was in a crowded residential neighborhood with narrow lanes, making it difficult for rescue workers to provide medical treatment at the site, Chauhan said. Firefighters struggled along with volunteers to sift through mounds of concrete beams and smashed wooden furniture. Heavy monsoon rainfall and shoddy building construction are often blamed for building collapses in Mumbai.
