Rescuers find 9 bodies after 2 buildings collapse in India

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers found nine bodies as they almost finished clearing a mound of rubble after the collapse of two multistory buildings east of New Delhi, an official said Thursday.

No survivors have been found following the collapse on Tuesday night of a six-story building under construction onto an adjacent four-story apartment building. The second building, ready for move-in, tumbled under the impact of the first building.

Rescuers expect to end their work later Thursday, said Anil Shekhawat, a spokesman of the National Disaster Response Force.

More than 100 rescuers with cranes, sledgehammers and chainsaws have been working to remove the debris in Shahberi village, nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of New Delhi.

The owner of the building under construction and his two associates have been arrested and will face charges of culpable homicide, the Press Trust of India news agency said. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

Building collapses are common in India during the June-September monsoon season, when heavy rains weaken the foundations of structures that are poorly constructed.

A collapse in 2013 killed at least 72 people in Mumbai.