New Delhi Building Collapses

A New Delhi four-story apartment building collapsed on Tuesday leaving 61 people dead and injuring others.

Police: building collapse in New Delhi kills 61

The 15-year-old building housing about 200 people — mostly migrant workers and their families — collapsed Monday evening in New Delhi’s congested Lalita Park area, and emergency efforts initially were hampered because vehicles had difficulty navigating the neighborhood’s narrow alleyways.

About 30 people were believed still trapped under the rubble, said New Delhi’s top elected official, Sheila Dikshit.

The death toll reached 61 as police and rescuers pulled bodies from the site and 78 people were injured, city police official Mohammed Akhlaq said.

An adjacent building, also in danger of collapse, was evacuated, Akhlaq said.

The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear, but one official said the building may have been weakened by water damage following monsoon rains. Police said they were looking for the building’s owner.