Bridge collapse: 2 yet to be traced as search ops continue

Two persons were missing after a portion of the Majerhat bridge in south Kolkata collapsed, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Wednesday as operations to locate those who might still be trapped in the debris were stepped up.

A part of the 50-year-old bridge on the arterial Diamond Harbour Road caved in Tuesday evening, killing one person, trapping several people and crushing many vehicles.

Banerjee, who is in Darjeeling, said two persons are still missing and search operations are on to trace them.

Banerjee said she has been monitoring the rescue operations from the hills.

Banerjee, who is cutting short her Darjeeling visit and is scheduled to reach Kolkata and visit the site in the afternoon, said the police and administration have done well in carrying out the rescue work.

"There could be a few trapped underneath the collapsed bridge. We are trying to find them. We are using cutters and drill machines to cut through the concrete slabs of the bridge. Till now, we are unable to locate anybody. We are trying our best," an official of the rescue team added.

The area near the site has been dug up for a metro railway project and construction material is strewn all over the place.

Labourers working on the metro project claimed two of their co-workers, who were probably inside a temporary shelter underneath the bridge, are still missing.

The bridge in crowded Alipore area runs over the Majerhat Railway Station and connects the city centre with the heavily populated Behala, vast areas of the southwest suburbs and neighbouring South 24 Parganas district.

As rescuers escalated their efforts, thousands of people were stuck in jams with the arterial Diamond Harbour Road being closed.

A traffic police officer said vehicles that usually move to and from the city through Majerhat bridge have been diverted through various other roads.

Train movement below the Majerhat bridge is normal, Eastern Railway spokesman R N Mahapatra said.

"Train services of Circular Railway from Dum Dum to Majerhat has also resumed this morning," he said.

However, services in the Circular Railway portion of railway track between New Alipore and Majerhat stations that passes under the bridge are temporarily suspended, he said