5-Member JU Team Visits Site Of Warehouse Collapse
Times of India | 28 June 2026
Kolkata: A five-member Jadavpur University engineering team on Saturday began a technical probe into the Taratala warehouse collapse that killed 17 people, adopting a forensic engineering approach to determine why the under-construction structure failed.
The team, drawn from civil engineering, construction engineering, architecture and metallurgical engineering, visited the Hyde Road site at Kolkata Police's request. Its findings will form the basis of a technical report after field and laboratory analyses.
“The investigation will follow established forensic engineering procedures. Some tests will be conducted at the site, while others will be carried out in laboratories. We will also require the structural design drawings, detailing and other technical documents before arriving at any conclusion,” said Prof Partha Pratim Biswas of the Department of Construction Engineering.
Saturday's visit was preliminary. The team identified sample collection points and listed tests, including soil investigation, examination of structural components and analysis of design drawings. No samples were collected as rescue personnel still controlled the site.
“Our main work can begin only after the rescue operation is completed and we get free access to the site,” Biswas said.
Prof Dipankar Chakraborty of the Civil Engineering department said: “A structural failure has many dimensions. Each member of the team will study different aspects and we will jointly carry out the failure analysis.”
Asked about possible foundation concerns, he said: “We will carry out a soil test. We have to collect the data, analyse it and only then can we express an opinion.”
Police arrested the proprietor of the warehouse owner's firm, the contractor and others.