Two women were killed and around 40 to 50 people feared trapped under the debris of a four- storey building that collapsed in Mumbai's Dongri area on Tuesday morning.

Civic officials said the incident was reported to them around 11.12 a.m. and by 12.30 p.m, the Mumbai Fire Brigade had escalated it to a Level III emergency.

The Kesar Bhai building, located near the Abdul Hamid Dargah on the Mohammed Ali Road, came crashing down suddenly, the officials said.

“The entire structure has collapsed and we have sought hep from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), apart from other agencies like the BMC and the Mumbai Police,” a Fire Brigade officer said.

Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singe said two women were killed and three people, including a child have been rescued so far.

Additional reinforcements were being rushed to the spot from the nearby J.J. Marg and MRA Marg police stations, officers said.

An NDRF officer confirmed that two teams had been despatched to the spot.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said though the building was 100 years old, it wasn't in the list of dangerous buildings. "It was to undergo redevelopment," he added.

Housing Minister Radhkrishna Vikhe-Patil said a probe would be ordered into the incident.

The building was a residential cessed structure and a No Objection Certificate to redevelop the building was given in 2012 to a private developer. It did not feature in the MHADA's annual list of dangerous buildings, which is released before the start of monsoons every year, according to officials.