Kolkata warehouse collapse: 5 more rescued, several still feared trapped

Kolkata, Jun 25 (PTI) Five more people were pulled out on Thursday from under the debris of the under-construction warehouse that collapsed in Kolkata's Taratala area, officials said.

Five people were earlier declared dead, while 25 injured are undergoing treatment, they said.

Several people are still feared trapped under the debris more than 18 hours after the collapse, officials said.

"Those rescued earlier today were taken to the hospital, and their conditions are being assessed by doctors. Every available resource has been deployed to ensure that those trapped are located and rescued at the earliest. The operation is being carried out in a highly challenging environment, but teams are working relentlessly," a senior official said.

The rescue operation continued overnight, with teams using sniffer dogs, thermal detection devices and specialised equipment to search for survivors beneath twisted iron beams and large concrete slabs.

"We are proceeding carefully because of the unstable nature of the collapsed structure," a senior police officer said.

Senior state government officials, including Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh and Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee, remained at the site to oversee rescue and relief efforts.

Meanwhile, police have arrested eight people in connection with the incident. While three people were arrested on Wednesday, five were nabbed following overnight raids at several locations in the city, officials said.

Kolkata Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team, headed by ACP (Crime) Kunal Agarwal, to probe the incident.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to make a statement on the incident in the state assembly later in the day. PTI