At least six people, including five minors, have lost their lives after a three-story building collapsed in the Indian city of Bombay, in the west of the country, amid a period of torrential rains that have lashed the city in recent hours and which even forced the temporary suspension of operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The collapse occurred in the Manjurd area, where emergency teams continue to work to locate any missing persons among the rubble of the building. So far, at least one injured person has been confirmed, according to the Indian newspaper "The Times of India".
The mayor of Bombay, Ritu Tawade, stated after the incident that the disaster is related to the irregular construction of housing in the affected area and lamented that such practices persist even when authorities issue evacuation and demolition orders due to structural risk.
Along the same lines, Vijay Ubale, a member of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimen (AIMIM) party present at the scene, indicated that authorities had evacuated two blocks in the area on Sunday, although several residents returned to their homes shortly before the collapse occurred.
Ubale detailed that one of the five deceased minors resided in a nearby house and had approached the building to play with friends. He also stressed that it is currently difficult to determine if there are more fatalities trapped under the debris.
The rainfall recorded in recent hours caused the aforementioned temporary suspension of activity at Bombay airport and caused floods in various parts of the city, in addition to the death of another person in the suburb of Kurla after a tree fell on a shop.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Bombay and warned that more heavy rains are expected in the area, while authorities have not yet provided a balance of affected or displaced people by these torrential rains.