Kolkata godown tragedy: 10 dead, 30 rescued after 21-hour operation; owner, engineer among 5 held | Kolkata News

KOLKATA: The death toll in the Kolkata warehouse collapse rose to 10 on Thursday as rescue teams, aided by the Army’s advanced ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system, continued intensive search operations nearly 21 hours after the incident.Five more people were rescued from the debris on Thursday morning, taking the total number of victims pulled out from under the rubble to 30, news agency PTI reported.Those killed in the collapse have been identified as Krishna Chowdhury, 30, Rohit Chowdhury, 40, Rahul Chowdhury, 17, Chandrama Chowdhury, 60, Pappu Rajak, 40, Azgar Hossain, 55, Sahil Sardar, 17, Ghee Kumar, 17, and two others who are yet to be identified, a senior state government official said.The warehouse was being constructed on a leasehold property owned by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in the city.According to sources at SSKM Hospital, where the injured are being treated, one more person succumbed to injuries on Thursday morning, PTI reported.Authorities said efforts were underway to ascertain and officially confirm the details of all victims.Rescue operations continued through the night under the supervision of senior state government and civic officials, including health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam, Kolkata police commissioner Ajay Nanda, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) commissioner Smita Pandey.A senior state government official said all available resources had been mobilised to trace people who might still be trapped beneath the debris.“The rescue operation is being carried out on a war footing. Advanced equipment, including the Army’s ground-penetrating radar, cameras, and other specialised devices, is being used to locate possible survivors. Our priority remains saving lives and ensuring immediate medical assistance to the injured,” the official said.The Army’s GPR system is being used to detect signs of life beneath the collapsed structure. The equipment can identify movement and pulse signals under layers of debris, enabling rescuers to focus excavation efforts on specific locations.Teams are also deploying cameras beneath the rubble to search for trapped persons, while mobile phone tower data is being used to trace individuals whose phones remain active under the debris.Official sources said 19 rescued persons are undergoing treatment at the Trauma Centre of SSKM Hospital.At least five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, including warehouse owner Shambhunath Behera, structural engineer Kamal Samanta, Gulzar Hussain, supervisor of Ayan Traders, labour supplier Dibakar Bhandari, and Abdul Hamid.Kolkata Police has registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant charges against the accused, PTI reported.“We have initiated a criminal investigation into the collapse. At least five persons have been arrested so far, and further inquiries are underway to identify others who may have been responsible. We are examining all aspects, including structural safety compliance and operational procedures at the warehouse,” a senior police officer said.Investigators are probing the circumstances that led to the collapse and whether violations of safety norms contributed to the tragedy.(With agency inputs)