Kolkata, June 24 (IANS) The death toll in the under-construction warehouse roof collapse incident in Kolkata’s Taratala area on Wednesday has risen to five, with several people still trapped under the collapsed structure.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the injured workers at SSKM Hospital in the evening and enquired about their condition.

Speaking to media persons outside the state-run hospital, Adhikari said: “About 25 people were rescued from the warehouse. Five have died. The 20 injured have been admitted to the hospital. The condition of two is critical. All the injured are receiving treatment here. Some workers are still trapped. They are alive and we have established contact with them. The rescue operation is going on in full swing. Hopefully, they will be brought out soon.”

According to police and fire brigade officials, around 12 to 15 people are still trapped under the debris.

Earlier in the day, Adhikari, along with several ministers and government officials, visited the accident site to supervise the rescue operation.

After his visit, the Chief Minister addressed media persons at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

“The accident occurred at 12.07 p.m. I have just visited the accident site. I want to thank the Civil Defence, Fire Department and Kolkata Police for their initial rescue operation, which saved many lives. I want to thank NDRF personnel for their efforts. Indian Army personnel are also working there,” said the Chief Minister.

At the same time, the Chief Minister said the incident took place due to a faulty building plan for the under-construction warehouse. He also informed that action would be taken against its owners.

“The building plan was sanctioned on January 17 this year. Initially, KMC engineers said that the building plan is faulty. The engineers will send a detailed report to us later in the day. Action will be taken against the owners, who have been identified as Behera Brothers,” said Adhikari.

The Chief Minister further said that work at all under-construction commercial properties within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area would remain suspended till July 31.

“In the aftermath of today’s incident, I have instructed the KMC to suspend work at all under-construction commercial properties till July 31. We will conduct an audit of their building plans, site plans and on-site inspections. Those whose documents are found to be in order can resume work from August 1,” said Adhikari.

The roof of an under-construction warehouse collapsed in Taratala on Wednesday afternoon. Around 40 to 50 workers were trapped beneath the collapsed structure.

Personnel from the Civil Defence, Indian Army, NDRF, Fire Brigade, Kolkata Police and KMC are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing.

Hydraulic cranes and gas cutters have been deployed to remove portions of the collapsed structure.

State Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul also reached the spot and supervised the rescue operations.

According to local residents, the roof of the under-construction warehouse suddenly collapsed while several workers were inside the structure.

Following the accident, many of them became trapped under the rubble. Local residents initiated rescue efforts before police, fire brigade and NDRF teams arrived at the site after receiving information about the incident.

According to information available so far, there may have been a problem during welding work inside the structure.

A hydraulic crane capable of lifting up to 50 tonnes has also been brought in.

The collapsed structure has been stabilised with the help of the crane to prevent any further collapse.

It is initially believed that the warehouse covered an area of about 20,000 square feet. Since there were no internal walls or separate sections inside the main structure, the entire roof section collapsed at once.

Unable to bear the additional load, several iron beams also buckled.

Police have also deployed sniffer dogs to locate those who may still be trapped under the debris.

–IANS

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