E-Paper
5 dead, several trapped as under-construction warehouse collapses in Kolkata; rescue still underway
Eyewitnesses at the site said that they heard trapped victims crying for help from beneath the debris.
Five people died and several others are still feared trapped after a three-storey under-construction warehouse in the Taratala area of West Kolkata, West Bengal, collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited the disaster site where rescue operations were underway, said that about 18 more people remained trapped under the rubble, where coordinated rescue efforts were being carried out by state and central agencies, including the army's eastern command.
The collapsed warehouse is a lease-hold property under the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in the city, an official said.
"So far, 21 people have been rescued; three of whom have perished. The others have been admitted to SSKM Hospital, where all efforts are being made to provide them with adequate medical attention," the CM had said earlier.
Till reports last received, all 17 rescued people, believed to be workers at the construction site, were admitted to the Trauma Care Centre of the state-run SSKM hospital. The condition of two among them was stated to be critical, hospital authorities said.
"The roof of the warehouse located on the Transport Depot Road near Brace Bridge in the Taratala area collapsed around noon. Our officers have reached the spot. Some people were working at the site at the time of the incident. We fear that quite a few people may be trapped under the debris," the officer quoted by the news agency said.
Eyewitnesses say heard trapped victims cry for help
Massive chunks of iron beams and concrete crumbled during the construction, where several workers were engaged. Eyewitnesses at the site said that they heard trapped victims crying for help from beneath the debris.
"Construction activities were taking place on the ground floor while the RCC structure for the first and second floors had been completed. The entire structure has come crashing down," an eyewitness told PTI.
According to a fire department official quoted in the report, the roof of the three-storey under-construction warehouse collapsed during casting work. He also alleged that substandard materials were being used in the construction of the warehouse.
Kolkata police, the army and other agencies on the rescue work
Personnel of the Kolkata Police, Disaster Management Group, civil defence, and fire and emergency services teams were seen carrying out rescue operations at the site on a war footing.
Army officials were also seen aiding rescue operations, while cranes and heavy equipment lifting machinery were deployed at the site to remove the collapsed iron beams.
Gas cutters were being used to cut through the iron and concrete, and rescue workers were trying to reach the trapped victims by means of vertical drilling.
"We are following the cries for help coming from under the debris. At the same time, we are assuring the trapped people that they will be rescued soon," a member of the Kolkata Police disaster management group told PTI.
Control room numbers -- 1070, 8697981070, 033-22143526/22535185 -- of the Disaster Management Group were opened at the state secretariat in the wake of the incident.
BJP minister blames TMC
Some locals alleged that large-scale illegal construction activities had been carried out in the area for some time.
"This is all illegal, which was constructed when the TMC was in power. We will definitely look into the causes of the accident and whether there were any irregularities. But right now, the priority is to rescue as many victims as possible," Minister Indranil Khan said.
West Bengal urban development minister Agnimitra Paul and Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey have also rushed to the spot. BJP leader Rakesh Singh arrived at the spot earlier.
