Rescue teams pulled five more people alive from the debris of the under-construction warehouse that collapsed in Kolkata's Taratala area, even as several others remained feared trapped more than 18 hours after the incident, officials said on Thursday.
The latest rescues have raised hopes among emergency responders, who have been working round the clock at the collapse site. So far, five people have been declared dead, while 25 injured persons are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, officials said.
Rescue operations continued through the night, with personnel deploying sniffer dogs, thermal detection devices and specialised equipment to search for survivors trapped beneath mangled iron beams and massive concrete slabs.
"Those rescued earlier today were taken to the hospital, and their conditions are being assessed by doctors. Every available resource has been deployed to ensure that those trapped are located and rescued at the earliest. The operation is being carried out in a highly challenging environment, but teams are working relentlessly," a senior official said.
Authorities said the rescue mission remains difficult because of the precarious condition of the collapsed structure.
"We are proceeding carefully because of the unstable nature of the collapsed structure," a senior police officer said.
Senior state government officials, including Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh and Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee, remained at the site to monitor rescue and relief efforts.
Meanwhile, police intensified their investigation into the incident and arrested five more people during overnight raids across the city. Three individuals had already been arrested on Wednesday, taking the total number of arrests to eight, officials said.
Kolkata Police has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by ACP (Crime) Kunal Agarwal, to probe the cause of the collapse and determine whether any negligence was involved.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to make a statement on the warehouse collapse in the state assembly later in the day.
