Alive: woman, after 36 hours buried in Thane building rubble

Mumbai, April 6 (Reuters) : The death toll from a collapsed building in Thane rose to 72 on Saturday, as an injured woman trapped for 36 hours was freed from the rubble of the illegal and half-constructed building. Rescue workers using cranes and bulldozers continued to search through the wreck of twisted steel and concrete after the seven-storey building collapsed "like a pack of cards" on Thursday evening, officials and witnesses said. "The building collapsed like a pack of cards within three to four seconds," said Ramlal, a resident. "It just tilted a bit and collapsed," he said. The building, which was in a forested area in Thane, had been made using poor materials and without proper approvals, said Sandeep Malvi, a spokesman for the Thane Municipal Corporation. He said 72 people had been killed and 36 injured had been admitted into local hospitals. "There may still be more bodies inside," Malvi added. "The rescue is still going on." As the sun rose on Saturday, around 100 workers from the National Disaster Relief Agency continued to use jackhammers and other equipment to cut through the pile of metal and concrete. The woman dragged from the building on Saturday was found after workers heard her voice and used camera equipment to pinpoint her location under the rubble. A 10-month old infant was pulled from the debris on Friday. The Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the area has been suspended following the collapse, which the state chief minister said was due to the building being built illegally, local media reported. Police said they were searching for the builders and would charge them with culpable homicide in connection with the disaster.