Death toll from building collapse expected to climb

PANAJI, India (AP):A five-story building under construction in the southern Indian state of Goa collapsed yesterday, killing at least seven workers and leaving dozens more feared trapped under the rubble, police said.

Authorities were trying to determine how many people were at the construction site when the structure crumpled in Canacona, a city about 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the state capital of Panaji.

Witnesses said about 40 workers were at the site.

"It was like an earthquake when the building fell," one witness said. "You could not see what exactly had happened because of the dust."

Police and residents pulled seven bodies from the wreckage, while fire-fighters and rescue workers were sifting through the debris for survivors.

Ambulances took at least three seriously injured workers to a hospital for treatment.

Building collapses are common in India, as massive demand for housing and lax regulations often encourage builders to cut corners by using substandard materials or add unauthorised extra floors.