Kolkata warehouse collapse: Death toll climbs to 16 as rescue op underway on fourth day – what we know
The death toll in the Kolkata warehouse collapse climbed to 16 on Saturday after an injured person succumbed to injuries at a hospital, officials said
The death toll in the Kolkata warehouse collapse climbed to 16 on Saturday after an injured person succumbed to injuries at a hospital, officials said. Rescue teams from multiple agencies continued clearing the debris on the fourth day of operations to ensure no one remained trapped. Authorities have deployed cameras beneath the rubble to detect any survivors, while mobile phone tower data is being used to help locate individuals whose phones are still active under the debris. 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. Teams are carefully checking every part of the collapsed structure. Massive debris clearance will start only after we are fully satisfied that no one is trapped inside," an official stated. Large-scale debris removal will begin only after rescue personnel are certain that there are no more survivors or bodies under the rubble, he said. A senior state government official said, “A person, Khalek Sardar of Basanti, undergoing treatment at the hospital, died. With this, the toll in the incident rose to 16, with 17 others undergoing treatment.” He said the rescue operation was being carried out with utmost caution to avoid any risk to rescuers and to ensure that no victim was missed.
The Indian Railways joined the rescue operation on Friday after the Disaster Response Force (NDRF) requested its help in cutting through and removing twisted steel structures to support the search for people feared trapped beneath the debris. The under-construction warehouse collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. The principal contractor, who was among the five people named in the FIR registered in the case, was found dead at the site. Police have set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the circumstances that led to the collapse. Also Read | JSW Infra secures Kolkata port container terminal project A senior police officer a day before yesterday stated a criminal investigation had been launched into the warehouse collapse and that at least five people had been arrested so far.
The officer added that further inquiries were underway to identify others who may have been responsible, with investigators examining all aspects of the incident, including compliance with structural safety norms and operational procedures at the warehouse. President Murmu prays for speedy recovery of injured President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the Kolkata warehouse roof collapse and extended her deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
The BriefWire