Kolkata, June 26 (IANS) Eastern Railway (ER) has lent support to the massive rescue operations underway at the site of the godown collapse in Kolkata, in which 15 people have been killed so far, while 18 are receiving treatment at the state-run SSKM Hospital.

The Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Kolkata Police and other agencies are involved in the rescue operation.

ER has now pitched in with men and equipment. Using cold cutters and other equipment, the railway team from the Howrah and Sealdah Divisions and Liluah Workshop breached the rubble at 5 p.m. on June 26 to check for survivors, if any are trapped under tonnes of twisted steel girders and concrete pillars. The cold cutters are crucial for such operations as they generate little or no heat and cause no harm to those trapped. These equipment are used during railway accidents, when capsized coaches need to be cut open, without affecting passengers trapped inside.

“ER’s 70-member heroic crew is battling time and despair. Armed with state-of-the-art technology — including 10 oxy-cutter sets, six abrasive cutters, and three plasma cutting units — these brave railway personnel are cutting through twisted steel and heavy debris, their hands guided by a singular, fierce determination to save every trapped heartbeat,” an ER spokesperson said.

For the railwaymen, the rescue operation has turned into a mission. Rescuers at the spot have said that the operation will continue till the last person is brought out, no matter what his condition.

The NDRF is using dogs and infra-red equipment to trace life under the debris, while the Army has put ground-penetrating radar into use.

The godown that collapsed was being built by a private company on land owned by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata, near Taratala. The land had been taken on a 35-year lease by the company in 2024.

Five persons have been arrested on charges of negligence. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari blamed the past government in the state for clearing a faulty plan.

–IANS

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