New Delhi, July 31 -- As many as nine people died after a four-storey building in Bhandari Compound under the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation limits, Thane, Maharashtra, collapsed on late Thursday. Officials said they expected 10 to 12 people to be trapped inside.

Thane collector Shrikrishnanath B. Panchal said on Friday, "So far, the bodies of nine people have been recovered. Initial information suggested that around 10 to 12 people were trapped inside."

The rescue operations are still underway to trace any remaining trapped persons, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said.

"At the outset, the NDRF team reached the site from Thane within 40 minutes during the night. After we received information at the district level,...