Mumbai residents refuse to leave unsafe buildings

Mumbai

After two days of incessant monsoon rain, Mohammad Altaf had come out of his home in Mumbai for a cigarette when he heard a terrifying crash, followed by a huge swirl of dust.

The six-storey Husainee building where he lived collapsed on Aug 31, trapping nearly 50 people. Thirty- four of them were killed, including a newborn baby.

"It was shocking," said Mr Altaf, who says he was unaware the apartment block had been declared unsafe by housing authorities in India's financial hub six years ago.

Across the city of 20 million peop…