At least 20 killed in India flyover collapse

Dozens more were wounded when the partially constructed flyover collapsed into a crowded street in the eastern city of Kolkata, crushing pedestrians, cars and other vehicles under tonnes of concrete slabs and metal superstructure.

Vehicles were crushed under concrete slabs and metal superstructure after a partially built flyover in Kolkata collapsed on Thursday. Rescuers dug through large chunks of debris in search of commutersShow more

KOLKATA // At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a flyover collapsed in a busy Indian city on Thursday.

The partially constructed flyover collapsed into a crowded street in the eastern city of Kolkata, crushing pedestrians, cars and other vehicles under tonnes of concrete slabs and metal superstructure.

“So far 20 people are confirmed dead. The toll is likely to rise as many people are injured,” said Javed Ahmed Khan, disaster management minister for the state of West Bengal, of which Kolkata is the capital.

Anil Shekhawat, a spokesman for the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said the number of injured stood at 92.

Police and pedestrians first on the scene used their hands to try to move fallen girders and steel rods to reach people.

Soldiers then rushed to the site, as people armed with bamboo sticks also raced to lift rubble while crowds gathered in the hope of hearing news of loved ones they feared were trapped.

“Everything is finished,” screamed Parbati Mondal, whose husband, a fruit seller, was missing in the collapse.

Rescue teams armed with specialist equipment, such as concrete cutters, drilling machines, sensors to detect heat and sniffer dogs, were also sent to the scene.

Kolkata will be the venue for this Sunday’s World T20 cricket final, which will draw thousands of fans to the city.

Building work on the flyover had been delayed for several years in the congested city, according to media reports.

Television footage showed a bloodied body trapped under a concrete slab, and the hand of a person sticking out from under twisted debris.

A witness at the scene described a loud bang “like a bomb blast and suddenly there was a lot of smoke and dust”.

“I looked at the other side of the road and people were screaming: ‘The bridge is collapsing’,” the man said.

A crane was seen lifting a mangled car from the debris and part of a crushed bus was visible protruding from the rubble. It was unclear if the vehicle had been carrying passengers.

Firefighters were also at the scene, putting out a blaze that ignited from spilt petrol.

The crews monitored the collapsed structure for other dangers that may have threatened rescuers.

“Monumental tragedy. Rescue ops on. Many feared dead,” tweeted Derek O’Brien, a legislator and spokesman for the ruling Trinamool Congress Party in West Bengal.

Federal interior minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy and was monitoring the situation.

The accident was the latest in a string of deadly collapses, some of which have highlighted shoddy building standards.

Great demand for housing, roads and other infrastructure in India has often been met by cost-­cutting and a lack of safety inspections.

* Agence France-Presse