Rescuers with sniffer-dogs sifted through tonnes of rubble in the Bangladeshi capital for a second day yesterday, searching for bodies or survivors after a building collapsed killing at least 11 people.

The five-storey building collapsed in the crowded Shakaribazar area. Five people were believed to be still in the ruins but hope of finding anyone alive had faded. ?We fear some bodies are still lying under concrete slabs,? said an army officer helping to coordinate the more than 200 troops and police struggling to remove debris. Rescuers said on Wednesday they could hear sounds coming from the rubble, apparently from one or more trapped people, but nothing was heard yesterday. Residents said about 25 people lived in the building, which also housed several shops. Eight people, all of them injured, had been pulled from the ruins by Wednesday night.

Cranes and other heavy equipment could not be moved to the site immediately because of the narrow alleys in the area.

?We hope to complete the search by late afternoon,? said Police Inspector Sultan Ahmed. Police said they suspected faulty construction on top of poor foundations may have led to the collapse. An investigation was under way. Many frightened residents of neighbouring buildings, including one on which part of the collapsed building was leaning, evacuated their homes.