MUMBAI (AFP) - Nine labourers fell to their deaths from the 13th floor of a residential tower block under construction in western India on Friday (July 29) after a concrete slab collapsed, an official said.

Four other construction workers were injured in the accident in the city of Pune, around 120km from India's financial capital Mumbai.

"Nine workers fell to their death from the 13th floor after the slab collapsed at around 11am," National Disaster Response Force official Sachidanand Gawde told AFP.

Pune police said they had launched an investigation into the incident.

Deadly accidents at building sites are relatively common in India and are often blamed on a lack of safety measures.