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Indian building collapse kills at least 11, highlighting safety concerns

While the cause is still uncertain, a minister has blamed the municipal government, run by a rival party, for building illegal structures

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India’s National Disaster Response Force personnel carry out a person extracted from the rubble of a residential building that collapsed in New Delhi’s Mustafabad area on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
At least 11 people, including three children, were killed in New Delhi on Saturday after a residential building collapsed on the outskirts of the Indian capital, local reports and authorities said.

The incident happened in the early hours in the northeastern district of the city that mostly houses migrant workers, with rescue teams digging through the rubble throughout the day.

Eleven people were pronounced dead, NDTV channel reported, though 11 others were rescued and taken to hospital. Five were still undergoing treatment, the network said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “saddened by the loss of lives”.

“Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” Modi’s office posted on social media. “May the injured recover soon.”

President Droupadi Murmu, whose official palace was just 20km (12 miles) from the site, said that “the deaths of many people including women and children is very sad”.

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