At least seven people have been killed after a a four-storey building in Mumbai collapsed in heavy monsoon rains.

Rescuers used sensors and life detectors to search for five other people who were feared trapped in the debris of the building in the Sion area of Mumbai.

Nearby residents said structural alterations made to the ground floor caused the collapse, the Times of India reported.

Building collapses are common in India as builders try to cut corners by using substandard materials, and as multistory structures are built with inadequate supervision.

The massive demand for housing around India’s cities and pervasive corruption often result in builders adding unauthorized floors or putting up illegal buildings.