Kolkata warehouse collapse: Death toll rises to 16 as rescue operation goes into fourth day – what we know | Today’s news
The death toll from a warehouse collapse in Kolkata rose to 16 on Saturday after an injured person succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, officials said. Rescue teams from multiple agencies continued to clear debris on a fourth day of operations to ensure no one was trapped.
Authorities have deployed cameras under the rubble to detect any survivors, while cell phone tower data is being used to help locate those whose phones are still active under the rubble.
Krishna Chowdhury (30), Rohit Chowdhury (40), Rahul Chowdhury (17), Chandrama Chowdhury (60), Pappu Rajak (40), Azgar Hossain (55), Sahil Sardar (17), Ghee Kumar (17) were among others who lost their lives in the tragic incident.
“Our first priority is to complete the search and rescue operation. The teams are carefully checking every part of the collapsed structure. The massive debris clearance will begin only after we are fully satisfied that no one is trapped inside,” the official said.
Large-scale debris removal will begin only after rescuers are sure there are no survivors or bodies under the debris, he said.
A senior state government official said, “A person, Khalek Sardar of Basanti, undergoing treatment at the hospital, has died. Taking the death toll in the incident to 16, 17 others have undergone treatment.”
He said the rescue operation was carried out with utmost care to avoid any risk to the rescuers and not to overlook any victim.
Indian Railways joined the rescue operation on Friday after the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) asked for help in cutting and removing twisted steel structures to support the search for people feared trapped under the debris.
A warehouse under construction collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. The main contractor, who was among the five persons named in the FIR registered in the case, was found dead on the spot.
The police have set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances that led to the collapse.
A senior police officer said the day before yesterday that a criminal investigation into the warehouse collapse had been launched and that at least five people had been arrested so far. The officer added that further investigations are underway to identify others who may be responsible, with investigators looking into all aspects of the incident, including compliance with structural safety standards and operational procedures at the warehouse.
President Murmu prays for the speedy recovery of the injured
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday expressed deep grief over the loss of life in the roof collapse of a warehouse in Kolkata and expressed deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
“The news of the loss of life due to the collapse of the roof of a warehouse in Kolkata is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to the families of the bereaved. I pray for the speedy and complete recovery of the injured,” the President said in a post in Hindi on X.
