Drivers make their way through a waterlogged street during monsoon rains in New Delhi, India on Thursday. Parts of the city recorded an intense spell of rain on Wednesday evening, providing much-needed relief from a long spell of sultry weather. Photo: AFP

One person was killed and dozens feared trapped after a five-storey apartment building collapsed late Monday in western India, officials said.

Estimates of the number of missing people range from 51 to 200, according to various local officials.

The collapsed structure comprised of 47 flats, police in the town of Mahad - 120 kilometers south of Mumbai in Maharashtra state - said in a statement.

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

Three rescue teams with specialized equipment and sniffer dogs have been deployed to the scene, a statement from India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said, with Home Minister Amit Shah tweeting that he was "praying for everyone's safety."

NDRF spokesman Sachidanand Gawde told reporters that emergency workers had retrieved the body of one victim, while Mahad police said at least 70 people were believed to be trapped under the rubble.

"Fifteen injured people have been rescued and taken to hospital," the police said.

Local residents and police combed through tin sheets, metal rods and other wreckage in a desperate search for survivors as ambulances ferried victims to nearby hospitals.

Mahad legislator Bharat Gogawale told the local TV9 Marathi channel that early estimates seemed to suggest that "over 200 people are stuck inside."

AFP