The death toll in the Kolkata warehouse collapse reached 15 on Friday with the recovery of two more bodies from the rubble and the death of two injured persons, even as the round-the-clock rescue and search operations stretched to third consecutive night.
There is still no clarity about the number of labourers still trapped inside the rubble.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that with rainfall not likely to take place on Friday, the rescue operation can be wrapped up by midnight.
“I spoke to the NDRF personnel. They have indicated that if the weather remains favourable, the rescue operation may be completed by tonight,” the chief minister told mediapersons.
“It is not possible to say right now whether anyone is still trapped. Once the NDRF and the Army give their final confirmation, I will inform the Kolkata Police,” he added.
Officials said the rescue operation will not be called off until the debris is completely cleared.
On Friday morning, two labourers, Mannu Kumar and Sahil Sardar, succumbed to injuries at the SSKM Hospital.
“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,” an official said.
His brother Ghee Kumar had died in the accident, while their father was undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the warehouse collapse.
One of the bodies recovered from the rubble late Thursday night was identified as that of 56-year-old Swapan Mondal, a resident of Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas. A relative said that Swapan Mandal went to work at the warehouse site for the first time on Wednesday and died.
According to officials, 18 injured are currently admitted to the SSKM Hospital.
The intensive search and rescue operation, conducted by the Army, Kolkata Police, Fire Services, Disaster Management Force, and the NDRF, is utilising advanced equipment, cranes, cutters, and sniffer dogs to locate the survivors.
Teams have also deployed cameras beneath the rubble to search for trapped persons, while mobile phone tower data is being used to locate individuals whose phones remain active under the debris.
“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,” an official said, adding the rescue team personnel were proceeding with utmost caution as the damaged structure remained unstable.
Meanwhile, a team from the Indian Railways also joined the rescue operation after the NDRF sought its assistance in cutting and removing twisted steel structures to facilitate the search for those feared trapped under the debris.
With PTI Inputs