At least 18 people have died and many are feared trapped after a building collapsed in India's financial hub of Mumbai following torrential rains.
Rescuers were searching for survivors at the site of the collapsed building, believed to be about 100 years old, in the busy Bhendi Bazar market area.
"The death toll has increased to 18 as more bodies have been found. The death toll is expected to rise further," said Tanaji Kamble, an official at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation disaster control unit.
He said 14 people were injured and were taken to nearby hospitals.
It was not clear how many people remained trapped. Media reports estimated that 20 people could be under the rubble as teams from the National Disaster Response Force and several fire engines were at the site.
As rescuers struggled to remove the concrete slabs to reach survivors underneath, the desperate relatives of those trapped pleaded with officials to speed up operations.
"There was a massive bang. We couldn't see anything due to the dust and smoke. Once the dust settled, we realised it was a building collapse," Amina Sheikh, a local resident told broadcaster NDTV.
The building collapsed after Mumbai was lashed by its heaviest rains in 12 years on Tuesday, which killed at least 11 people. Police and local agencies suspect that heavy rains could have weakened the building, leading to its collapse.
Local media reported that a larger tragedy was averted as the building housed a school, which was closed at the time of the collapse.
State chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters that the building was deemed unsafe by local authorities a couple of years ago.
"Residents should have [evacuated] the building as it was due for demolition in May 2016. We have ordered a probe and strict action will be taken against those guilty," he said.
There have been three building collapses in Mumbai over the past two months. In July, 17 people were killed when a four-storey building collapsed in the Ghatkopar suburbs.
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