At least 11 die as 2 buildings collapse in India; rescue ongoing for dozens feared trapped

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Rescue workers carry the body of a victim amid the debris of a building that collapsed in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 28, 2014. A dilapidated building collapsed in the Indian capital on Saturday, killing at least seven people as rescuers searched for others believed to be trapped. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rescue workers clear debris at the site of a building collapse today in New Delhi, India.

NEW DELHI — A dilapidated building and another under construction collapsed in India on Saturday, killing at least 11 people as rescuers searched for dozens of others feared trapped, police and fire officials said.

In New Delhi, a four-story 50-year-old structure toppled in an area inhabited by the poor. The collapse killed at least 11 people and one survivor was being treated in a hospital, said fire service officer Praveer Haldiar.

Hours later, a 12-story building under construction collapsed on the outskirts of Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.

Police said 13 construction workers have been rescued so far and the search was continuing for dozens of others.

Most homes in the New Delhi area where the first building collapsed had been built without permission and using substandard materials, police officer Madhur Verma said.

The Press Trust of India news agency said the New Delhi collapse was triggered by construction work on an adjacent plot.

Building collapses are common in India, where high demand for housing and lax regulations have encouraged some builders to cut corners, use substandard materials or add unauthorized extra floors.