The death toll rose to 37, including 15 children, in the residential building collapse at Bhiwandi, 38 kilometers from Mumbai, India as the rescue operation continues on Wednesday.

The three-story building collapsed around 3:40 a.m. local time on Monday in the Patel compound area in the Thane district.

So far, 25 injured have been admitted to hospitals while around 25 people were rescued after the building collapsed.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had expressed their condolences on the unfortunate incident.

"There was a power loom at the ground floor of the building where some workers are believed to be asleep when the building caved in. As per details given by locals, 20 to 25 people are still trapped inside the debris," said Milind Palsule, public relation officer of the local civic body.

National Disaster Response Force, which is undertaking rescue and relief operations along with local administration, is now working in shifts.

Images broadcast on the NDRF's official Twitter feed showed emergency workers combing through concrete and brick rubble with electrical wires hanging over their heads.

The cause of the pre-dawn accident was not immediately clear, but building collapses are common during India's June-September monsoon, with old and rickety structures buckling after days of non-stop rain.

(Cover: Rescue workers search for survivors from the debris after a residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, September 21, 2020. /Reuters)