Kolkata Police detain three for questioning in fatal warehouse roof collapse case

Kolkata, June 24 (IANS) Kolkata Police on Wednesday night detained three persons for questioning in connection with the under-construction warehouse roof collapse incident here in the Taratala area on the southern outskirts of the city earlier in the day, which has claimed five lives and left several others critically injured.

A source in the police said that of the three persons detained for questioning, one is the supervisor of the under-construction warehouse, while the other two are labour contractors who supplied contractual workers for the construction of the warehouse.

One of the three persons currently being detained and questioned is Muhammad Gulzar, the supervisor of the under-construction warehouse. The other two are Muhammad Atayul and Subhas Chowdhury, both labour contractors.

At the time of filing this report, rescue operations at the warehouse were yet to be completed.

There are apprehensions that some contractual workers may still be trapped under concrete slabs and iron beams of the collapsed warehouse.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and enquired about the condition of those injured in the roof collapse and admitted there for treatment.

CM Adhikari confirmed the deaths of five persons and said that a total of 20 injured people were undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The condition of two of them is critical, the Chief Minister said.

“Doctors are trying their best to bring them out of danger. The state government’s priority now is to rescue all the trapped workers from under the collapsed warehouse roof as early as possible,” the Chief Minister said.

Earlier in the afternoon, a team of the Indian Army joined the rescue operation at Taratala following a request from the state government.

In addition, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also engaged in rescue operations.

Kolkata Police and the West Bengal Fire Department are also involved in the ongoing rescue efforts.

It is initially believed that there were flaws in the construction design of the warehouse.

The previous Trinamool Congress-controlled board of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) had approved the design on January 17 this year.

–IANS

src/pgh