Monday, 23 December 2024
Monday, 23 December 2024
Two persons were killed and at least seven others injured after an under-construction five-storey building collapsed in the Garden Reach area of Calcutta. Mayor Firhad Hakim said rescue operations are going on at the site where the building was being constructed illegally.
Till reports last received, more people were likely to have remained trapped under the debris of the collapsed structure. While Md Wasim, the promoter of the building, was arrested, the mayor said stringent action would be taken as per law.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the building collapse site at Azan Molla Lane in the city's western periphery and assured local residents of stern action against illegal construction. She said the government will provide compensation to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured persons.
At least 10 people have so far been rescued from the site, an official said. The injured were admitted to a hospital, the Mayor said.
"We stand by the distressed families and rescue operations shall continue," Banerjee said. She said the authorities should have been more vigilant when the illegal construction was going on.
According to locals, who were the first responders, concrete chunks fell from the building before it collapsed. There was a loud sound and a thick cloud of dust engulfed the area as soon as the building collapsed. The debris fell on nearby shanties in the densely populated area, they said.
SSKM Hospital director Manimoy Bandyopadhyay speaks with police personnel at SSKM Trauma Care Centre, where people injured in the Garden Reach building collapse are being treated.
