At least 13 people have died including eight children and 20-25 people feared trapped after three-storey residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi area of Thane district.

The India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) confirmed the tragedy on Monday, September 21, 2020 in a statement.

The building situated at Patel compound of Narpoli near Dhamankar Naka collapsed at around 3.40 am with 25 families sleeping in the property at the time of the incident.

More than 40 emergency workers, including a team of 30 rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are reportedly at the scene of the building collapse searching for survivors.

Al Jazeera report indicated that the building had been on a list of dangerous buildings and a notice for it to be vacated had been issued.

Meanwhile, 35 people have been rescued from the rubble and among them is a child as indicated by NDRF officials.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences on his twitter page. He added that all possible assistance is being provided to the affected.

Last month, at least 13 people were killed after a five-storey building collapsed in Mahad and in 2017, National Crime Records Bureau data showed that more than 1,200 people were killed in building collapses nationwide.