Rajnath apprises Modi about Kolkata accident; condoles deaths

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday expressed grief over the death of 14 people in a flyover collapse in Kolkata and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the US, had been apprised of the situation.

"Had a telephonic conversation with the PM and apprised him of the rescue operations being carried out by the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) in Kolkata," the minister tweeted, adding that Modi too condoled the loss of precious lives.

"The PM expressed his condolences to the families of those who died in Kolkata and prayed for the lives of those trapped under the debris," Singh wrote on his twitter handle.

Modi is in Washington to attend the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit.

Earlier, after the news of the Kolkata accident poured in, the home minister condoled the dead.

"Deeply saddened to know that precious lives have been lost in the Kolkata accident. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased," he tweeted.

The home minister later told reporters that a NDRF team had been sent to the accident site on Vivekananda Road.

"The team must have reached there. This is an unfortunate incident and I express condolence from the depth of my heart," he said.

At least 14 people were killed and a hundred others injured when a portion of the flyover, still under construction, collapsed in Kolkata.