Building struck by car collapses in India, killing 10

New Delhi

TEN people have died after a car crashed into a dilapidated building in central India and brought down the near-century-old structure, burying them beneath rubble, police said on Sunday.

The freak accident in Indore on Saturday evening is the latest building disaster in a country infamous for poor construction and safety standards.

The driver lost control of his vehicle and struck a pillar holding up the structure, said police deputy inspector general Harinarayanchari Mishra.

"The impact was such that the entire building collapsed," he told AFP. "Rescue workers pulled out 12 people from the rubble, 10 of them were already dead. The other two are being treated in hospital."

Images from the scene showed battered and bloodied corpses being pulled from twisted piles of brick and concrete. The rubble was being cleared with cranes and industrial equipment.

Building disasters are common in Indian cities where millions are forced to live in crammed, run-down properties due to spiralling real estate prices and a lack of proper housing.

Activists say owners often cut corners on construction to save costs with little regard to safety.

Some 30 people perished in September last year when a 117-year-old apartment building collapsed in India's financial hub of Mumbai.

And in 2013, 60 people were killed when a residential block came crashing down in one of the country's worst housing disasters. AFP