Kolkata flyover tragedy: 5 IVRCL officials detained, death toll rises to 24

Five officials of the Hyderabad-based construction firm were detained on Friday in connection with Thursday's flyover collapse in the city even as three more bodies were pulled out of the debris taking the toll to 24.

"We have detained a five officials of the construction company IVRCL. We are taking action against them," Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said.

Police had registered a case on Thursday against the construction firm under sections 304, 308 and 407 of the IPC and sealed its local office. Around 90 people were injured in the collapse and the condition of seven of them was stated to be "very critical".

PTI

Agencies engaged in rescue work said that there was a possibilty of a person being trapped inside a truck which is still under a girder. Armymen along with Kolkata Police, disaster management team, NDRF and fire brigade personnel engaged in rescue work throughout the night, pulled out three more bodies from under the rubble of concrete, a police officer said.

"Nobody alive has been rescued... Two mangled autorickshaws apart from a few other vehicles have been pulled out. One lorry is still stuck inside... Whether there is anybody trapped inside cannot be certain," he said.

About a 60-metre-long stretch of the 2.2 km flyover under construction crashed down on Thursday afternoon on a congested road intersection in Kolkata. Forensic experts visited the site and collected samples of materials used for the construction for examination.

A day after an official of IVRCL dubbed the flyover collapse as an "act of God", IVRCL's legal team head P Sita said, "It is an accident". She also did not rule out sabotage and referred to a media report which said there could have been a bomb blast.

"An act of God was just an expression only to describe that it is under no one's control," she told reporters in Hyderabad.

AFP Photo

Meanwhile, a four-member police team from West Bengal reached Hyderabad during the day as part of its probe to question officials of IVRCL after the flyover it was constructing collapsed in Kolkata.

Sita also claimed, "...100 per cent no issues with regard to quality. It is the same material, as was used to construct the 59 sections earlier with approval, with which the 60th section (which collapsed) was built ... Unfortunately it collapsed."

"IVRCL will cooperate with all the authorities in investigating this accident. We are trying to ascertain the reasons for the occurrence of this accident. We have asked all our officials concerned to be available with the investigating authorities," she said.

Showing a photograph of the mishap site published in a newspaper, she said that it looked like a site of bomb blast. There were various aspects which should be looked into.

The West Bengal government has already ordered a high-level probe into the incident that triggered a blame game with the Opposition accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of callousness.

Trinamool Congress and the BJP were engaged in a slanging match after Union Minister M A Naqvi accused the state government of "criminal negligence" in relief work, which the TMC described as "cheap politics".

Naqvi, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said that the TMC government showed "criminal negligence" in ensuring relief work and engaging in a "competition on corruption" with the previous Left Front government which resulted in the flyover collapse.

TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien termed Naqvi's statements as "cheap politics" in the election season.

"Just saw a BJP Minister's statement. Reeks of cheap politics in election season. Army came at state's request. Army belongs to nation, not the BJP," Brien said.

Naqvi also reiterated the party's demand for a CBI probe into the collapse.

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Meanwhile, a senior police officer said, "The main road crossing near Ganesh Talkies would hopefully be cleared by tomorrow". But the rest like the iron piers, iron pillars, broken concrete parts will be cleared in a step-by-step process."

"It's a very very congested area with buildings so close to the flyover. And most of the buildings are very old. So we must keep in mind that in order to remove the damaged portions of the flyover another mishap does not take place," he said.