Kolkata: As search operations entered the third day at the site where a warehouse collapsed in Kolkata's Taratala area, leaving several people dead and injured, the death toll in the accident rose to 15 on Friday.
Officials confirmed that rescue personnel, including Indian Army personnel, recovered two more bodies from the site, while hospital authorities reported that two patients undergoing treatment succumbed to their injuries.
Rescue teams continued intensive search operations through the rubble on Friday morning, two days after the warehouse roof caved in. Officials said two bodies were recovered late on Thursday night, though their identities are yet to be established.
On Friday morning, two workers, Mannu Kumar and Sahil Sardar, succumbed to their injuries at the state-run SSKM Hospital, taking the death toll to 15, an official said.
"Nineteen-year-old Mannu Kumar, a native of Munger district in Bihar, had been rescued from the debris on June 24 and had undergone surgery on Thursday night. Despite sustained medical efforts, he died in the early hours of Friday," the official said.
His brother, Ghi Kumar, had died in the accident, while their father was undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the warehouse collapse, he added.
According to the official, 18 injured people are currently admitted to SSKM Hospital.
Also Read:
Search continues
Several others are still believed to be trapped, another official said.
"Our immediate priority is to rescue every possible survivor and ensure the best medical care for the injured. Teams are working without interruption despite the extremely challenging conditions inside the collapsed structure," he said.
The rescue operation will continue until every section of the debris has been thoroughly searched.
"The rescue team personnel are proceeding with utmost caution because the damaged structure remains unstable. We are coordinating with all agencies," the official said.
Meanwhile, personnel from multiple agencies, including Kolkata Police, the Army, and the state disaster management group, have been working round the clock since Wednesday, cutting through iron beams and clearing massive concrete slabs in a war-footing operation.
Teams have also deployed cameras beneath the rubble to check for trapped persons, while mobile phone tower data is being used to trace the location of individuals whose phones remain active under the debris.
The Indian Railways on Friday joined the rescue operation after the National Disaster Response Force sought its assistance in cutting and removing twisted steel structures to facilitate the search for those feared trapped under the debris, another official said.
Railway personnel equipped with oxy-cutting machines began work after inspecting the site on Thursday.
The accident occurred on June 24 after the roof of the warehouse on Transport Depot Road in Taratala caved in, trapping many workers inside.
