Five people, including two women and a two-year-old child, were killed Tuesday when an old building collapsed in the south central suburbs, a fire brigade official said.

 

 "As the building was more than 40 years old and got weakened in the recent heavy rains, its roof and walls caved in burying the victims under debris," regional fire brigade officer Ramaswamy told reporters here.

 

 Of the victims, two men – Bhola Singh, 22, and Malkan Singh, 20, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, were street vendors, while the two women – Padma, 45, and Manjamma, 50 – were a home-maker and a labourer.

 

 "It has taken more than eight hours for our fire personnel to clear the debris and retrieve the bodies, as they had to first clear the way to the spot for bringing the earth movers through the congested area," Ramaswamy said.

 

 The child, incidentally, strayed into the building as her parents reside in the neighbouring house.

 

 Police took the owner of the building into custody for failing to inform the civic authorities that the building was damaged in the heavy rains that battered the city Saturday.

 

 The victims were tenants in the old building – a two-storey structure with a warehouse on the ground floor.