The death toll in the Garden Reach warehouse collapse rose to 16, with five more deaths confirmed. Fourteen injured remained hospitalised.
Police identified the victims as Swapan Mondal, 56, Mannu Kumar, 19, and Khalek Sardar, 40. The identities of the remaining two could not be established.
Mondal, a resident of Shyamnagar in North 24-Parganas, was pulled out of the debris on Friday. Kumar, from Munger in Bihar, and Sardar, from Basanti in South 24-Parganas, had been admitted to SSKM Hospital since Wednesday and died on Friday.
More than two days after the collapse, rescue operations continued late into the night, with teams using specialised equipment to detect signs of life or recover bodies from the mangled mass of iron and concrete. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said he expected the operation to be completed by Friday night, subject to weather conditions.
A massive section of an under-construction warehouse had collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, trapping several workers. In the absence of a register, the exact number of people trapped could not be ascertained.
Teams of the NDRF, Army, Railways and state agencies continued efforts using life detectors, oxy-cutters and sensor-based machines. An NDRF official said the 6,689 sq m area had been divided into six zones so that multiple teams could work simultaneously.
Three workers trapped under the debris were pulled out early in the day and taken to SSKM, where they were declared dead. Mondal was among them.
Teams used the specialised devices and monitoring equipment to scan beneath the rubble. Operators tracked signals indicating possible human presence, marking spots for drilling. A rescue official said: “Initially, small portions were dug and teams entered to locate victims. But as the day progressed, the strategy was adjusted and cameras were sent into freshly cleared sections to check for survivors or bodies.”
In one instance, an operator was heard saying, “Smell aa raha hai (a smell is coming from this spot).”
A drone hovered above the site, capturing aerial visuals of the operation.