The death toll has risen to 20 in Thane’s Bhiwandi where a three-storeyed building collapsed early on Monday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Tuesday, ANI reported.

20 persons including a four-year-old boy, were rescued, PTI reported. 

It collapsed at 3.40 am on Monday. 

The building had  40 flats and around 150 persons lived there, an official said. A civic official told PTI that the building, located at Narpoli’s Patel Compound near Dhamankar Naka, collapsed while the residents were asleep.

A portion of the building collapsed and many occupants were trapped in the debris, a Thane Municipal Corporation official said.

The building was not in the list of dilapidated structures of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), he said.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday expressed anguish over the incident. “The loss of lives in the building collapse incident at Bhiwandi, Maharashtra is quite distressing,” he said. 

“In this hour of grief, my thoughts & prayers are with victims. I wish speedy recovery of injured,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

“Saddened by the building collapse in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for a quick recovery of those injured. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to the affected,” Modi tweeted.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed pain over the collapse and instructed the administration to ensure proper rescue operation and treatment to the injured, his office said.