A giant crane was brought in to lift a concrete beam. But engineers quickly realised the move could endanger those who might still be trapped underneath. The plan was called off.
Through such calculations and the constant fear of a fatal error, the rescue operation at the Garden Reach warehouse collapse site continued well past midnight.
Drones hovered above the wreckage, scanning for any signs of life. Sniffer dogs combed through piles of concrete and twisted galvanised iron (GI) sheets, searching for human scent. Teams also deployed a live heartbeat detector in an effort to identify survivors trapped below.
Late into the night, nearly a dozen rescuers continued to circle the site, bending low and straining their ears for the faintest sound from beneath the rubble.
Amid the array of sophisticated equipment, the most dependable tools turned out to be the chisel and hammer. Scores of rescue workers cleared pathways through the rubble, advancing inch by inch towards those buried underneath.
“The first thing we did was locate the spots where the men were trapped. We listened for sounds and cries for help. This helped us identify at least 10 persons who were rescued alive. Before using any drilling machine, we had to ensure that the area being drilled did not have anyone directly underneath,” said a member of the rescue team.
Five people were declared dead, while at least 20 others were rescued alive and admitted to SSKM Hospital.
Hundreds of personnel from the police, fire brigade, disaster response force, civil defence and the army joined the operation at the warehouse, which falls under Taratala police station.
Rescuers had to search an area spanning 6,689 square metres.
The operation began with manual removal of debris before gradually progressing to the use of metal- and concrete-cutting equipment.
The biggest challenge was cutting through what rescuers described as “multiple layers” of concrete and galvanised iron sheets, an NDRF team member said.
According to sources, cranes and payloaders were initially deployed at the site. However, the idea was soon abandoned. “We realised it was far too risky. NDRF was called in. Later, two cranes were retained and used to lift layers of concrete and GI sheets to create access for rescue workers,” said an officer attached to the central disaster response agency.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said the rescue of so many survivors was possible because of seamless coordination among multiple agencies. “Earlier, there used to be issues related to differences between state and central agencies. Now, there is no problem. All the agencies worked in tandem,” he said at Nabanna.