Thursday tragedy: 10 feared dead as under-construction flyover collapses in Kolkata

A part of an under-construction flyover collapsed near Ganesh Talkies in Girish Park, north Kolkata on Thursday, reportedly trapping several people in the debris and killing 10, according to CNN-IBN. Seven people were rescued from the spot and rushed to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. Several others were reported trapped under the debris at the site in the northern part of the metropolis. [caption id=“attachment_2705264” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kolkata bridge collapse. Screengrab from CNN IBN[/caption] “Two bodies have been extricated,” a police officer said. The disaster occurred around 12.30 p.m. Disaster management and trauma care teams joined the rescue and relief operations. So did hundreds of locals. “There was a sudden thundering noise as the Vivekananda Flyover came crashing down”, a witness said. He said he saw the flyover collapse over taxis, auto-rickshaws and other vehicles. “More than 100 people must have been (buried) beneath it… It is a huge loss of human life,” the witness said. Human body parts could be seen in the debris, with blood splattered on the road.

Under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkata near Ganesh Talkies,10 dead. Rescue ops on
pics via ANI pic.twitter.com/zdQJsg6JXz

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“We have sent two teams. They have all kinds of equipment necessary to pull people out from the debris,” said OP Singh, NDRF DG. “Very soon, we will be conducting the rescue operation with the help of state authorities and local police,” Singh told Times Now. The long-delayed 2.5-km flyover under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was expected to tackle congestion in Burrabazar area - the location of one of the largest wholesale markets in Asia - up to the Howrah station, the gateway to the city. The project’s foundation was laid in 2008 and work on the Rs.164-crore project began on February 24, 2009. It was scheduled to be completed in 2012 but land acquisition issues delayed its completion. The implementing agency too ran into financial troubles. With inputs from agencies