16 Nov 2010

Delhi building collapse claims 60 lives

8:13 pm on 16 November 2010

Delhi residents are clawing at concrete slabs in a desperate bid to reach people trapped in a collapsed apartment building in the Indian capital.

At least 60 people have died in the collapse, with scores feared trapped.

A resident told reporters no cranes or bulldozers had arrived.

Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, has blamed the collapse on the building's faulty construction, saying she is not even certain if it was authorised.

She says the construction will be investigated.

The city's finance minister, A K Walia, says the foundations could have been weakened by flooding during monsoon rains.