A portion of Majerhat bridge in Kolkata collapsed on Tuesday afternoon. A section of the bridge in a busy area of posh south Kolkata came crashing down this afternoon, triggering shock across the city. Many people trapped underneath have been rescued. State minister Firhad Hakim said six injured people have been shifted to the hospital.
Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, who is currently in Darjeeling, spoke to the media and said. "All passengers of vehicles have been rescued. There has been no confirmation of death. But there was a small hut / office of metro workers under the bridge where five to eight workers were expected to be when the bridge caved in,". She also said the priority for now "is relief and rescue… The rest of the investigation will be done later".
The army, which has its base in the nearby Fort William, sent its personnel for rescue work. Derek O'Brien, lawmaker of the state's ruling Congress, tweeted: "Cranes already put into action. Fire fighters using ladders already being used. Disaster management teams at work."
This happened two years after the collapse of the under-construction Vivekanand flyover in Kolkata that claimed over 20 lives.
(Featured image: India TV)