Mahadeb Adak, 55

Paikpara resident

Dead in flyover crash

The worst fears of Shirshendu Adak, 28, came true after an officer from Posta police station called him and said his father was one of the victims of the Vivekananda Road flyover collapse.

The travel and tour agency Mahadeb worked for has an office close to the crash spot. The 55-year-old tour associate had called his son in the morning, saying he was waiting for a bus near the flyover on his way to meet a client.

"I last spoke to him at 11.45am," Shirshendu, a mechanical engineer, said. He learnt about the collapse from one of his friends who called. Shirshendu immediately left for the spot and on the way got a call from the police officer, who asked him to reach Marwari Relief Society Hospital in Jorasanko.

On reaching the hospital Shirshendu broke down. His father's colleagues surrounded him and tried to pacify him.

"Our world has come crashing down with the flyover," an inconsolable Shirshendu kept saying.

Golap Mali, 57

Rabindra Sarani resident

Dead in flyover collapse

Golap Mali was among the first to be declared dead at Marwari Relief Society Hospital on Rabindra Sarani.

Mali, a hawker, used to sell puja items under the flyover. His nephew Suni Shankar came rushing from his home near Muktaram Babu Street after hearing the news of the flyover crash.

A doctor who tried to revive Mali said he had suffered a head injury and might have sustained massive internal injuries as well.

Mali's son Vikas was too shocked to speak. Seeing his condition, the other family members who had gathered at the hospital tried to send him back home. But he broke down and resisted their attempt.

Golap is also survived by his wife and three daughters.

Asha Jyoshi, 65

Resident of Baguiati, Narayantala

Dead in flyover crash

Asha Jyoshi had stepped out of her Baguiati home at 9.30am to visit her dentist at his Ganesh Talkies chamber. Moments after she left the dentist's chamber, the flyover came crashing down.

She was rescued by local residents and police after being trapped under the debris for 30 minutes and was taken to Marwari Relief Society Hospital.

Doctors decided to amputate her right leg. She died shortly after surgery.

"My mother-in-law was scheduled to fly to Hyderabad to visit her son's house. One of our neighbours was passing by the spot when he saw her lying injured on the road and called me.

"I had to make several rounds of Calcutta Medical College, and Posta and Bowbazar police stations before I could find out that she had been taken to Marwari Relief Society Hospital," said Asha's son-in-law Pawan Haritwam.

 

Golab Chand Sonkar, 55

Family not sure whether he was alive or dead

Golab Chand Sonkar was still breathing when he was pulled out of the debris.

"My brother Bunty had pulled him out with the help of neighbours. He said father was still breathing," said Rinki Sonkar. The Sonkars are residents of the nearby Lal Madhav Mukherjee Lane.

Golab, who earned a living selling puja items and betel leaves, opened his makeshift stall at the KK Tagore Street-Rabindra Sarani crossing as usual at 5 in the morning.

As soon as the family heard about the crash, Bunty, whose wedding is scheduled for April 20, rushed to the spot.

Rinki said her father was taken to Marwari Relief Society. "My brother called to say that doctors had tried to revive him but possibly failed. We haven't heard from him since," Rinki said.

Anxious kin

Kamal Agarwal was holding a picture of his friend, Aditya Sonthalia and his wife as he kept asking the police and the rescuers about them.

Sonthalia, a resident of KK Tagore Street, was taking his wife to a doctor around 12.10pm, about 15 minutes before the flyover collapsed. "He was supposed to hail a taxi but we don't know what happened. Neither his nor his wife's phone is reachable," Agarwal said.

Like Agarwal, many people failed to get in touch over the phone with friends and relatives who live near the crash site or were supposed to go there for work.

A man in his 50s had tears in his eyes and a cell phone on his ears as he kept pacing up and down Vivekananda Road. Another person by his side was trying to calm him down.

Many others tried to cross the sea of people to reach the rescuers. Some were seen giving descriptions of the shirts their near and dear ones were wearing.

A Calcutta police control room was set up in the area where people were registering for their missing relatives.

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The fifteen whom the flyover killed

The death toll was 21 till 10.30pm, according to Calcutta police records. Fifteen of the victims have been identified

1. Tapan Dutta, 58
S/o KC Dutta
28 Tagore Castle Street 
Calcutta 700006 

2. Sanjay Meharotra, 50
49B Ramdulal Sarkar Street
Calcutta 700006 

3. Prakash Dhali, 35 
S/o Netai Dhali
Bansboria, Haringhata, 
Nadia

4. Ajoy Kumar Kondai, 48
S/o Jagadish Prasad Kondai
26 PK Tagore Street
Calcutta 700005 
5. Sarita Kondai, 45
W/o Ajay Kumar Kondai
26 PK Tagore Street
Calcutta 700005 

6. Asha Jyoshi, 65
W/o late Satyanarayan Jyoshi
DD-37A, Narayantala, 
Baguiati East
Calcutta 7000059

7. Gajendra Sethia, 32
S/o Kundanlal Sethia
207 MD Road 
Calcutta 700007 

8. Jatan Yadav, 55
S/o Hari Yadav
35/A/1/1B Bethune Row
Calcutta 700001

9. Md Ramjani, 25
S/o Sheikh Mustafa
47 MM Barman Street
Calcutta 700007

10. Nirmal Kumar Balmiki, 25
S/o Lalan Singh Balmiki
KC-22, Sector-III, 
Salt Lake City
Calcutta 700098 

11. Mahadeb Adak, 55
S/o late Tinkari Adak
12/1 Brajanath Lahiri Lane
Santragachi, Howrah 4
12. Golap Mali, 57
S/o Hari Mali
17/1 Lalmadhab Mukherjee Lane
Calcutta 700007

13. Samar Thakur, 60
S/o late K. Thakur
14 Ultadanga Road
Calcutta 700004

14. Rajib Shaw, 33
S/o late Bishwanath Shaw
1/1H/26 DumDum Road
Calcutta 7000028

15. Sujit Debnath, 32
S/o Sukumar Debnath
Gayeshpur, Kalyani, Nadia

Six victims were yet to be identified till midnight

Do you know anyone who is missing in the flyover crash? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com