Death toll in Mumbai's building collapse reaches 61

Indian authorities Sunday said that the death toll in Friday's building collapse in Mumbai had reached 61 while 32 others sustained injuries, as the 48-hour rescue operations were called off. "Some 61 people are now confirmed dead. Those injured have been admitted to a local hospital where the condition of some are said to be serious. Rescuers have stopped the operations as the possibility of finding any more survivors has been ruled out," a senior police official said. The 33-year-old building, the property of the state-owned civic body and served as living quarters for its staff, collapsed near the Dockyard Road in Mumbai in the early hours of Friday when some 25 families were sleeping. The police have arrested the owner of a marquee decoration firm, who had allegedly carried out illegal modifications on the ground floor of the building, thus shaking its foundation. "He has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and has been sent to police custody till Tuesday," the official said on condition of anonymity. Chief Minister of the western state of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan has announced a compensation of 1 lakh rupees (2,000 U.S. dollars) each to the families of the deceased. Building collapses are common in India often because of poor construction practices. Some 100 people were killed in five building collapses in Mumbai between April and June this year.