Kolkata flyover collapse: Rescue ops will be over in 3 hours, says NDRF

Although the police till late Thursday claimed that they are unsure about when the rescue operation will get over, DIG NDRF SS Guleria on Friday morning announced that they going to wrap up the operation within next three hours.

Although the police till late Thursday claimed that they are unsure about when the rescue operation will get over, SS Guleria, the Director General of the National Disaster Response Force on Friday morning announced that they going to wrap up the operation within next three hours.

Members of the National Disaster Response Force remove the remains of a person from the rubble of an under-construction flyover that collapsed in Kolkata, (REUTERS)

Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar told the media that they have recovered 24 bodies.

“We hope to resume traffic movement in the area by this afternoon,” said Kumar.

He also said 110 people were injured, of which some are being treated for critical injuries in different hospitals. Some have been discharged.

CCTV footage | The moment Kolata flyover collapses on vehicles

“It is the most challenging job that I have to face in my career . The roads here are narrow and congested and it was a difficult task for my men. However, after 20 hours I can conclude that everything will get over within three hours,” Guleria told HT.

The DIG expressed his concerns over the crowd management policies of Kolkata police and claimed it to be major ‘hindrance’ in their work.

“Police tried best but they would have been much proactive to control crowd. There were several onlookers who made our task all the more difficult. It was only in the evening - around six hours after we joined - police decided to control the crowd. Only after that we started a prompt action,” added Guleria.