Building collapse: 13 of family buried alive

A building that was under construction in a north Indian town collapsed overnight, killing 13 members of a family of weavers who were sleeping on the ground floor, police said Sunday.

Three people escaped unhurt when the partially built first floor crashed down in the town of Mughalsarai, about 300 kilometers southeast of Uttar Pradesh's state capital of Lucknow.

"People were buried alive" when the building came down, police Superintendent Chandauli Muniraj said. Two people were taken to a hospital, but one died, raising the death toll to 13.

The victims included the building's owner, Mohammad Kamarrudin, and members of his family, including two children under 8 years old, Muniraj said.

Police were investigating what caused the collapse, and had no details about construction permits or practices.

Building collapses are common in India, where high housing demand and lax regulations have encouraged some builders to cut corners or use substandard materials.

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