On Transport Depot Road in Taratala, the siren never seemed to stop as ambulances, police vehicles, cranes and trucks carrying gas cutters moved in and out through Wednesday afternoon.
Rescue teams searched for workers trapped beneath the rubble of warehouse that had collapsed when it was being refurbished.
A massive rescue operation involving the NDRF, police, Army, disaster management teams and civil defence personnel continued through the day
A section of the structure collapsed around noon on Wednesday, triggering a massive rescue operation involving the NDRF, police, disaster management teams and the army.
Ankit Singh, in his twenties, came out of the gate, crossing police barricades, panting for breath.
"I was nearby when we heard that the roof had collapsed and many workers were trapped inside," he said.
"A few of us rushed there immediately. We helped pull out people along with the rescuers. I was inside for almost four hours. Many of those who came out were badly injured. It was very difficult to see. I still feel there may be more people trapped underneath."
Transport Depot Road turned into a hub of emergency activity
The scale of the disaster became apparent over the barricades.
Massive steel beams lay crumpled over concrete slabs. Sheets of corrugated metal had folded onto one another. Beneath them were people working for hours to renovate the warehouse. Cranes removed the rubble as rescuers worked through the debris. A drone hovered overhead, monitoring the area.
The sight reminded many of the Posta flyover that collapsed in 2016. The heavy beams crushed people like paper.
Witnesses described the collapse as so powerful that it felt like an earthquake
As the rescue operations continued in Taratala, local residents crowded at every possible vantage point. A dilapidated building beside the site was taken over by television crews and local youths trying to get a glimpse of the rescue work. Others peeped through holes in the tin barricades surrounding the property.
From behind one such opening, the rescue operation seemed relentless. Halogen lights were set up to carry the operation into the night. Personnel climbed over fallen steel sections while others waited below with stretchers. Every few minutes, instructions rang out through loudspeakers through the noise of cranes and cutting equipment.
Around 5pm, Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikary arrived to oversee along with MLA Indranil Khan. The CM took updates, spoke to the media and left. The search continued.
The rescue operation continued into the evening under floodlights
A shopkeeper who runs a stall opposite the site said it was unlike anything he had witnessed before. "The entire ground shook. For a moment, it felt like an earthquake. Some workers managed to come out on their own, but many were trapped,” he said.
Outside, rumours and speculation spread through the crowd. A woman standing behind the barricade said, “All of this happened because of the corrupt former government. Poor construction quality took so many lives!”
Nearby, a group of men discussed whether proper safety norms had been followed. “The contract was passed illegally,” one declared without offering any evidence while the others went “tch, tch.”
Around 4pm, a labourer emerged from the debris after helping rescue fellow workers.
Covered in dust from head to toe, he walked out without speaking to anyone. Visibly shaken and in trauma, he was taken away for medical attention.
The scenes of twisted steel, debris and frantic rescue efforts revived memories of Posta flyover that collapsed in 2016
Several ICU-equipped ambulances stood with their rear doors open as rescuers wheeled injured workers on stretchers inside them.
One of the most closely watched moments came when rescue personnel carried an injured worker across a section of cleared debris. The crowd fell silent as the stretcher was moved towards an ambulance waiting nearby. “Is he alive?” asked someone from the crowd.
Near one of the barricades, an elderly man stood wiping tears off his cheeks. When asked whether someone of his own was trapped inside, he looked away.