Indian police have arrested a total of nine people, including a local corporator, in connection with Thursday evening's collapse of the illegal, under- construction building near Mumbai, in which 74 people were killed and over 60 others injured, a senior police official said Sunday.

The seven-storey building in Thane on the outskirts of India's financial capital, being built on forest land illegally, collapsed like a pack of cards trapping in debris some 100 occupants of the already built four floors of the apartment block as well as construction workers toiling for erecting three more floors. The dead included 26 children.

"A local corporator, two senior civic body officials, a police official and the two builders of the illegal building are among those now arrested by the police. The corporator of Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of the Congress-led government in the western state of Maharashtra, Hira Patil, has been arrested for failing to act by allegedly taking bribes from the builders," he said, on condition of anonymity.

All the arrested have been slapped with various charges, including causing deaths due to negligence and criminal conspiracy. They have been remanded in police custody till April 20 by a local court.

Preliminary probe has revealed that the building, which was built in a span of just two months using sub-standard materials, collapsed probably due to the laying of the foundation of a new building in the vicinity. "But we are waiting for a thorough probe report before we come to any definite conclusion," the official said.

The high-level probe was, in fact, ordered by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Friday, who had pledged to take strict action against any government official who were found guilty. "No one will be spared," he said.

House collapses are common in India due to poor construction practices. And, illegal construction on the outskirts of Mumbai is driven by high demand for housing from the growing population.