At least 10 people, four of them children, were killed in a landslide triggered by monsoon rains in India's financial capital of Mumbai, officials said Friday. The landslide buried nearly 20 shanties in Mumbai's Sakinaka area during the heavy downpour late Thursday night, injuring at least 11 people, local police officer Yeshwant Lad said over telephone.
"The victims included four children," Lad said. "Police assisted by the locals managed to rescue nearly 23 people who were trapped under the debris," he added. Police and fire service teams were engaged in rescue operations as several people were still missing. The Saki Naka area witnessed a massive landslide that claimed 78 lives during 2005 floods in the city and was considered unsafe by the authorities.
Local agencies said the slums were illegal and people had built their shanties despite repeated warnings. According to a recent human development report by the United Nations, 50 per cent of Mumbai inhabitants live in makeshift shanty towns or slums.
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