ELEVEN builders have been crushed to death under a warehouse wall in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, barely a week after the collapse of an eleven-storey building killed some 60 people in the same state.

Building collapses are common in India, where unscrupulous contractors and officials often dodge regulations.

The shortage of affordable housing means new arrivals to cities are often willing to live in poor quality or even dangerous accommodation.

Most of the workers killed yesterday were from the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.

One person was rescued and is in a stable condition.

The rescue operation at the site has been completed and the warehouse owner had been arrested pending further investigations.

On June 28, en eleven-storey building in state capital Chennai (Madras) crashed to the ground after heavy rains, killing 61 people.

Six people including construction company managers have been arrested over that collapse.