5 killed in Kolkata warehouse collapse, several workers feared trapped
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Kolkata: The death toll in the roof collapse of an under-construction warehouse in Kolkata’s Taratala area rose to five on Wednesday, while rescue teams continued efforts to reach workers still trapped under the debris.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the injured workers at SSKM Hospital in the evening and took updates on their condition.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, Adhikari said around 25 workers had been rescued from the warehouse, of whom five had died. He added that 20 injured workers were undergoing treatment, with two of them in critical condition.
He said rescue teams had established contact with some workers still trapped under the rubble and confirmed that they were alive. The rescue operation was continuing on a large scale, he added.
Police and fire brigade officials said around 12 to 15 people were still believed to be trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Earlier in the day, Adhikari, along with ministers and senior officials, visited the accident site and monitored the rescue operations. He later addressed the media at the state secretariat, Nabanna.
The Chief Minister said the collapse occurred at around 12.07 p.m. and thanked Civil Defence personnel, the Fire Department, Kolkata Police, NDRF teams and Indian Army personnel for their efforts in rescuing workers.
Adhikari said the preliminary assessment suggested that the accident occurred due to a faulty building plan for the under-construction warehouse. He said action would be taken against the owners, identified as Behera Brothers.
He said the building plan was approved on January 17 this year, but Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) engineers had initially raised concerns over the plan. A detailed report from the engineers was expected later.
Following the incident, the Chief Minister announced that construction work at all under-construction commercial properties within the KMC area would remain suspended until July 31.
He said the authorities would conduct audits of building plans, site plans and on-ground conditions. Projects with proper documentation and compliance would be allowed to resume work from August 1.
The roof of the warehouse collapsed suddenly on Wednesday afternoon while around 40 to 50 workers were inside the structure. Several workers were trapped beneath the debris.
Teams from Civil Defence, the Indian Army, NDRF, Fire Brigade, Kolkata Police and KMC have been carrying out rescue operations on a war footing.
Hydraulic cranes and gas cutters have been deployed to remove the collapsed portions. A 50-tonne-capacity hydraulic crane was also brought in to stabilise the structure and prevent further collapse.
State Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul reached the site and supervised the rescue efforts.
According to local residents, the roof collapsed without warning while workers were inside. Locals initially began rescue efforts before emergency teams arrived after being alerted.
Preliminary information suggests that a possible issue during welding work may have contributed to the collapse.
Officials believe the warehouse covered around 20,000 square feet. Since the structure had no internal walls or separate sections, the entire roof reportedly collapsed at once, causing several iron beams to buckle under the load.
Police have also deployed sniffer dogs to help locate workers who may still be trapped under the debris.
With IANS inputs