MUMBAI: Five dozen people were rescued from a nine-storey government building that caught fire on Monday in India's financial capital of Mumbai, authorities said.

"The rescue operation is nearly done. We are searching every floor of the building to find out whether anybody is left behind," a fire department official said.

Fire broke out on the third and fourth floor of the building, which houses the office of state-owned telecoms company MTNL, prompting employees to go to the rooftop of the building.

The rescue was carried out by a team of 175 firemen and 14 fire engines.

Municipal authorities initially estimated 100 people could have been trapped in the building.