Police suspect that heavy rain in Mumbai could have weakened the building that collapsed in Bhendi Bazaar
There was an explosion-like sound, followed by a swirl of dust as the five-story Husaini building in his neighbourhood collapsed, said Iqbal Kaskar, absconding gangster Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother.
The dilapidated building in congested Bhendi Bazar area in South Mumbai collapsed on Thursday morning. The death toll had reached 24 by evening.
Iqbal Kaskar, who lives in a nearby building, said he was at home and had just woken up when he heard a loud "explosion-like sound", followed by a swirl of dust. "I immediately rushed down," he said.
"We felt our building vibrate," Iqbal Kaskar said, speaking to a Marathi news channel.
Not many people lived on the upper floors, but several workers lived on the ground floor, Iqbal Kaskar said.
It was a residential-cum-commercial building, he added.
The building is located in the Muslim-dominated Pakmodia Street near J J Hospital. It crumbled at around 8.30 am on Thursday. It's not clear if the heavy rains that inundated Mumbai this week led to the collapse.