15 killed in Kolkata Flyover Collapse

At least 15 people were killed in Kolkata and dozens more were injured after a flyover being constructed in the middle of the city came crashing down on Thursday.

Officials fear many more may have died in what the state government called a monumental tragedy.

‘I think at least 150 people are under the debris,’ a witness said.

The army has joined rescue efforts.

NDTV reports said that firefighters and residents were trying with their bare hands to rescue those trapped under chunks of concrete and metal.

Television footage showed a bloody hand reaching out from under what appeared to be a massive girder.

People were trying to hand bottles of water to survivors pinned underneath.

Visuals also showed cars buried under the collapsed bridge.

The flyover was being constructed at Burrabazar, a busy commercial area in central Kolkata near the famous Ganesh Talkies.

It has been under construction since 2009, says reports, and has missed several deadlines for completion.

Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force have also been sent to the spot to reinforce rescue efforts.

‘The condition is pathetic. At this moment no one has any clue how many people are trapped,’ said Raichand Mohta, a police officer.

‘We heard a loud sound, like a bomb blast, and then saw a lot of smoke,’ said a resident of the teeming area. A woman shared: ‘We thought maybe a house had collapsed but then we saw it was the bridge!’