India demolished two residential high-rise buildings outside New Delhi on Sunday, in a dramatic spectacle carried live on television channels after days of excited media build-up.

The destruction of the 100-metre-high "Twin Towers" in Noida, home to a concrete forest of similar structures, was also a rare example of India getting tough on corrupt developers and officials.

The 32 floors of "Apex" and the 29 of "Ceyane", containing between them nearly 1,000 apartments that were never inhabited in nine years of legal disputes, were brought down in seconds, creating an immense cloud of dust and debris.

The controlled implosions using 3,700 kilograms (8,160 pounds) of explosives were India's biggest demolition to date, local media reported.

Thousands of people, as well as stray dogs, had to be evacuated before the blast, including from neighbouring high-rises, one of which was reportedly just nine metres away.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to nearby buildings.

bb/stu/aha