Bridge partially collapses in Kolkata

Bringing back the dreadful memory of Posta flyover collapse here two years back, a bridge partially collapsed in South Kolkata on Tuesday, toppling several vehicles.

At least 20-25 injured people have been rescued by fire officials while many more are feared trapped under the rubble, officials said.

"A part of the Majherhat bridge between Taratala and Mominpur partially collapsed around 4.30 p.m. Six fire tenders have been pressed into service," a fire official said.

"At least 20-25 people have been rescued from the spot. It is possible that not a lot of people got trapped under the collapsed part of the bridge. But we need to remove the debris to find out what is underneath," another official working on the accident spot said.

Disaster management teams employed cranes for the rescue operation.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, now on a trip to Darjeeling in North Bengal, expressed concern over the incident and said her government will initiate a probe into the collapse.

She said she was trying to return to Kolkata but it takes close to four hours even to get down to the plains from the Darjeeling hills on a rainy day. Also, no flights were available now.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation. We are initiating a probe so that everything can be found out and we are taking steps on an emergency basis to rescue those who are trapped," she added.

Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, who rushed to the spot, said rescue teams who went under the bridge did not find any trapped persons.

"They have not found any trapped persons so far. But they are still trying to ascertain whether anybody is trapped," he said.

Twenty-six people were killed when the under-construction Vivekananda Flyover collapsed in the city's Posta area on March 31, 2016.

--IANS

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