Mumbai building collapse
© UnknownPeople gather around debris at the site of the building collapse as the rescue operation continues.
Police say the death toll in the collapse of an illegal and half-constructed residential building in India's financial capital has climbed to 72.

On Saturday, rescue workers continued to search through the rubble of the eight-story building -- which collapsed into a mangled heap of steel and concrete in the Mumbai suburb of Thane on April 4 -- amid diminishing hopes for possible survivors.

An injured woman was dragged from under the debris after rescuers heard her voice and used camera equipment to locate her. A 10-month old infant was pulled from the rubble on Friday.

Sandeep Malvi, a spokesman for the local municipal corporation, said the building was being built using poor construction materials without proper permits.

He said 72 people had been killed and 36 injured had been admitted to local hospitals.

Malvi noted that between 100 and 150 people were in the building when the tragedy took place.

Residents said laborers paying a daily rent of around USD 5 lived in the building.

Building collapses are frequent in Asia's third-largest economy as developers use substandard materials and shoddy methods, and multi-story buildings are constructed without adequate supervision.