India building collapse kills 14; dozens trapped

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim amid the debris of a building that collapsed in Canacona, a city about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Goa state capital Panaji, India, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. AP

PANAJI, India — A five-story building under construction collapsed in the southern Indian state of Goa , killing at least 14 workers and leaving dozens more feared trapped under the rubble, police said.

Army soldiers were deployed Sunday to help rescuers and firefighters sift through the enormous pile of concrete and dust, as the chance of finding survivors dwindled a day after the structure crumpled.

Authorities were trying to determine how many people were at the construction site when the building collapsed Saturday afternoon in Canacona, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the state capital of Panaji, police Superintendent Shekhar Prabhudessai said.

Witnesses said about 40 workers were at the site.

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

Prabhudessai said the cause of the collapse had not been determined.

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 unauthorized extra floors.