9 killed as building collapses in western India

At least nine people were killed and several others injured after parts of an under-construction building collapsed in the western Indian city of Pune on Friday morning, a senior police official said.

"The 14th floor of the under-construction building caved in suddenly in the city, 160 km from financial capital Mumbai, when a number of laborers were working at the site in Balewadi area," he said, on condition of anonymity.

"Some 14 laborers were on the 14th floor when a construction slab collapsed and all of them fell in a heap below. While eight of them died on the spot, one of the injured succumbed to his wounds in the hospital where the injured are being treated."

Local TV channels reported that the construction laborers were probably not wearing safety gear such as helmets while working at the site.

Pune's Mayor Prashant Jagtap has said that the civic body will carry out inspections at all such construction sites to find out if developers are adopting adequate safety measures for the workers. "All construction sites in the city will be inspected," he told the media.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the police official said, adding that the developer and the owner of the building would be arrested and charged if found guilty of negligence in the inquiry report.

Building collapses are common in India mainly due to poor construction practices fuelled by the demand for low-cost residential buildings for the country's growing middle-class.