10 killed in Maharashtra building collapse

Ten people were killed in their sleep and 20 feared trapped as a portion of a three-storey building collapsed in Bhiwandi town of western Indian state of Maharashtra today, Indian police said.

Five people including a child have been rescued so far after the building caved in earlier this morning, rescue officials said, adding that search operations are underway.

A civic official of Bhiwandi said the building collapsed at 3:40am local time when the residents were asleep, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Around 20 occupants of the building are feared trapped in the debris of the collapsed building, he reports.

A team of the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot.

NDRF Director General S N Pradhan tweeted that "20-25 feared trapped" and a dog squad has been pressed into service for tracing the trapped people.