The toll in the Taratala warehouse collapse in south Kolkata rose to 15 on Friday as teams of multiple agencies, including army personnel, retrieved two more bodies and two others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment, an official said.
The rescue teams continued intensive search operations through the rubble, two days after the warehouse roof caved in, he said.
Two bodies were recovered late on Thursday night, though their identities are yet to be established, he said.
On Friday morning, two workers, Mannu Kumar and Sahil Sardar, succumbed to their injuries at the state-run SSKM Hospital, taking the toll to 15, the official said.
"Nineteen-year-old Mannu Kumar, a native of Munger district in Bihar, had been rescued from the debris on June 24 and had undergone surgery on Thursday night. Despite sustained medical efforts, he died in the early hours of Friday," the official said.
His brother Ghi Kumar had died in the accident, while their father was undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the warehouse collapse, he said.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said personnel of the army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been working and will continue until the debris is cleared.
"I spoke to the NDRF personnel. They have indicated that if the weather remains favourable, the rescue operation may be completed by tonight," he told reporters.
Targeting the previous Trinamool Congress government, the chief minister alleged that it had promoted corruption and "parivarvad" (dynastic politics), and pushed Bengal backwards.
Adhikari said his government was committed to reversing that trend through development-oriented governance.
"Six people have been arrested. The Kolkata police commissioner is supervising the investigation. We have decided to blacklist the architect, planner and supervisor firm engaged in the project. A report has also been sent to the Home Ministry," the CM said.
According to the official, 18 injured are currently admitted to the SSKM Hospital.
Several others are still believed to be trapped, another official said.
"Our immediate priority is to rescue every possible survivor and ensure the best medical care for the injured. Teams are working without interruption despite the extremely challenging conditions inside the collapsed structure," he said.
The rescue operation would continue until every section of the debris had been thoroughly searched.
"The rescue team personnel are proceeding with utmost caution because the damaged structure remains unstable. We are coordinating with all agencies," the official said.
Meanwhile, personnel from multiple agencies, including Kolkata Police, the army, and the state disaster management group, have been working round the clock since Wednesday, cutting through iron beams and clearing massive concrete slabs in a war-footing operation.
Teams have also deployed cameras beneath the rubble to check for trapped persons, while mobile phone tower data is being used to trace the location of individuals whose phones remain active under the debris.
The Indian Railways on Friday joined the rescue operation after the NDRF sought its assistance in cutting and removing twisted steel structures to facilitate the search for those feared trapped under the debris, another official said.
Railway workers equipped with oxy-cutting machines began work after inspecting the site on Thursday.
The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon after the roof of the warehouse on the Transport Depot Road in Taratala caved in, trapping many workers inside.
The police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe how the structure caved in.
The body of the principal contractor, who was among the five people named in the FIR registered in the case, was recovered from the site.
The police on Thursday arrested Kalicharan Bandyopadhyay, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, in connection with the warehouse collapse.
The chief minister, however, declined to comment on the arrest of Bandyopadhyay.
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