Chances of finding more survivors of the collapsed flyover in Kolkata faded on Friday as army officials said they were not hopeful of finding any more body under the debris.
Police has opened a case of culpable homicide against IVRCL, the company building the flyover that collapsed on Thursday, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens more.
“The focus of operations is now on debris removal and clearance of the road so that normalcy is restored. As of this morning no more bodies are expected to be found under the rubble,” army officials said.
However, deputy police commissioner Akhilesh Chatruvedi said the rescue operation will not stop until all the blocks of concrete and iron girders have been cleared, reports AFP.
The army rescue teams operated throughout the night along with the teams from civil defence, police and NRDF, trying to remove the debris from the affected area.
Altogether there are close to 300 Army personnel including medical teams, surgeons, engineers and gas cutters working on the spot of flyover collapse in northern Kolkata.
It was unclear what caused the sudden collapse, but police registered a preliminary case against IVRCL and sealed its offices in Kolkata of Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}It was unclear what caused the sudden collapse, but police registered a preliminary case against IVRCL and sealed its offices in Kolkata of Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}Five officials of the company have been detained, according to PTI.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who paid a visit to the mishap site, told reporters “We have detained a few officials of the construction company. We are taking action against them”.
A four-member police team from West Bengal arrived in Hyderabad on Friday as part of its probe to question officials of city-based IVRCL.
“They have come and are doing investigation,” a top police official of Hyderabad Police told PTI.
The state government, which is fighting for re-election in a vote that starts on Monday, pledged to take action against those found responsible.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday sought a CBI inquiry into the into the incident and said the corrupt nexus between the West Bengal government and the opposition has been exposed.
“It is an act of fraud protected by the state government. The nexus of corruption between the Trinamool Congress and the Left party which is in the opposition has been exposed,” union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters.