At least eight people who were helping construct a new building are feared killed after a part of the 13-storey building collapsed in Pune.

Officials said the top portion of the building came crashing down this morning.

"We have taken his incident very seriously. We shall order an inspection of all such construction sites now to ascertain whether they are employing adequate safety measures of the workers," Pune Mayor Prashant Jagtap said.

It is not known whether the labourers who are believed killed were wearing safety harnesses while working at that height or why a safety net was not erected below.

Rescuers were looking for workers possibly trapped in the rubble, said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to news agency AP as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.