Building collapse
Death toll in Kolkata's under-construction illegal building collapse rises to 9
Kolkata/IBNS/UNI: The death toll in the "illegal" under-construction five-storied building collapse at the thickly populated Garden Reach area in Kolkata rose to 9 so far, even as the rescue operations were underway using floodlights, official sources said on Monday.
Among the dead, two sisters Shama Begum;( 44) and Hasina Khatun ( 55) were sleeping on the second floor of the under-construction multi-storied building when it collapsed.
Sources said three of the injured were undergoing treatment at the SSKM hospital and nine others were admitted to a private nursing home near the site of the mishap.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the accident site and talked to the local people.
The Chief Minister visited the private nursing home and assured financial as well as medical support to the affected people.
She has admitted that the construction was illegal and ordered stern action against the promoter, who has been arrested.
The local people alleged the construction was going on after covering a water body at a place, which is around 4 ft wide.
State Urban Development Minister and city Mayor FirhadHakim, who is also the MLA of that area, admitted that the construction was illegal.
The building collapsed at around 11: 49 PM on Sunday night on a serpentine 4-foot wide lane as the rubble and iron rods fell on the roofs of the adjacent houses triggering casualties mostly from the minority community at Molla Bagan (Garden Reach) in south Kolkata.
Rescue operations are still underway and the rescuers suspect that more people might be trapped under the rubble.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari demanded the arrest of local councillor Sams Iqbal.
State Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demanded the resignation of Firhad Hakim blaming him for the disaster.
CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim criticised the authorities for allegedly allowing promoters to build houses illegally.
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