MUMBAI, AUGUST 13 Twenty-one persons died when a four-storey building — Dutta Nivas — collapsed in South Mumbai’s congested Bhendi Bazar area at 5.30 am on Wednesday.

Within minutes, eight fire engines and five ambulances reached the spot and managed to rescue 30 people, who were trapped in the front portion of the building that was intact.

As rescue operations continued through the day, the toll increased. Rescue operations were on even at 11 pm.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer P D Karguppikar said that seven persons, including children, are still feared trapped in the debris. Two persons, who were rescued, were in a critical condition. They later succumbed to injuries.

Residents of Dutta Nivas had been warned hours before the building collapsed, on Tuesday night, when some bricks and cement began to fall off. However, none of the residents took the warning seriously.

“At 10 pm, we heard a noise. I saw that few bricks had fallen from the building wall. I got scared and asked the residents to move out. But no one, including my own family, thought it was serious,” said Sukanya Chaurasiya, who lives in a building nearby.

Kishore Mayekar, one of the tenants, blamed the landlord Bharat Jain for the incident. Mayekar registered a complaint against him, alleging Jain did not pay attention to repairs and maintenance of the building.

Residents also said that Jain had not even collected rent for several years.

Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, who visited the spot, said most of the buildings here were old and dilapidated. “There is a need for reconstruction of these buildings,” he said. The state Government announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 25,000 for the injured.