Rescue operation underway after a five-storey under-construction building collapsed, at Garden Reach area in Kolkata, early on March 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Two persons were killed and several others were injured after a five-storey under-construction building collapsed in Kolkata’s Garden Reach area late on March 17 night.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the spot and took stock of rescue operations. She also met the injured at a health facility.
The rescue operation is going on at the site located at Azan Molla Lane in the city’s western periphery. The under-construction building collapsed on the shanties next to it.
Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim said that promoters of the building will be arrested.
“Sad to learn about the house collapse disaster of an under-construction building in the Garden Reach area of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Our Mayor, Fire Minister, Secretaries and Commissioner of Police, civic, police, fire and disaster management officers and teams [including NDRF, KMC and KP teams] have been on site throughout the night for mitigating the disaster,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on X.
She said the government will provide compensation to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured persons.
“We stand by the distressed families and rescue operations shall continue,” Ms. Banerjee said on the microblogging site.
“In a horrific accident, an under-construction five-storeyed building collapsed around midnight. Two persons were killed and at least seven people were injured,” Mr. Hakim said.
At least thirteen persons were rescued from the site, an official said.
The city Mayor said there were still a few persons trapped under the debris and efforts were on to rescue them. The injured were admitted to a hospital, he said.
Mr. Hakim, who is also West Bengal’s Urban Development Minister, said, “I have spoken to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and we will give Rs five lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs one lakh to each injured person.” Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal visited the spot and took stock of the rescue operation.
“The under-construction building collapsed in the Garden Reach area late on Sunday night. We have rescued a few people. The recuse operation is still going on,” a police official said.
According to locals, who were the first responders, concrete chunks fell from the building before it collapsed.
(With PTI inputs)