Flyover Collapsed In India And Left Many Dead

31 March 2016 Kuwait

Kolkata had one of its worst days today when a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed in a busy north Kolkata neighbourhood, killing many people and leaving dozens injured and trapped under the debris. According to latest reports at least 14 people have been killed, and the casualties are expected to rise through the day. Several people were rescued from under the debris and were sent to different hospitals in the vicinity.

Cutting short her campaigning visit to West Midnapore district, chief minister Mamata Banerjee rushed back to the city, came to the site and directed the speeding up of relief and rescue operations by the police, fire brigades and disaster management personnel. 

 Flyover collapsed in India and left many dead

Several passenger vehicles, including a bus, were trapped under the debris. A PTI correspondent who was at the accident site, saw several severely injured people lying in pools of blood. People were also seen trapped under vehicles, concrete and heavy steel girders. Many hawkers operate under the flyover that is also used for parking vehicles.

Large cranes and other rescue vehicles were pressed into service to clear the debris and bring out the injured. NDRF personnel were also rushed to the site to to assist in the rescue operations. 
The collapse occurred around noon at the busy Rabindra Sarani-K K Tagore Street crossing near Burrabazar, the trading hub and one of the most congested areas in the city.

 Flyover collapsed in India and left many dead

Television footage showed one bloodied body trapped under a concrete slab, and also the hand of a person sticking out from under twisted debris. "Monumental tragedy. Rescue ops on. Many feared dead," tweeted Derek O'Brien, a lawmaker and spokesman for the ruling Trinamool Congress Party in West Bengal state, of which Kolkata is the capital.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was monitoring the situation adding that he was "deeply saddened to know that precious lives have been lost in the Kolkata accident". An eyewitness at the scene described a loud bang "like a bomb blast and suddenly there was a lot of smoke and dust".

 Flyover collapsed in India and left many dead

"I looked at the other side of the road and people were screaming 'the bridge is collapsing'," the unnamed man told television networks. 
The Press Trust of India news agency, citing police, said one person was dead with an unknown number of others trapped. Kolkata is the venue of this Sunday's World T20 cricket final.

 

SOURCE : TIMESOFINDIA

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