Bridge collapses in Kolkata, several feared trapped

Majerhat (Kolkata): In a tragic incident, a section of a bridge in South Kolkata's Majerhat came crashing down, on Tuesday. While many commuters have been feared to be trapped, the number of casualties are yet to be ascertained. The State government, along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), has launched a rescue operation on a war-footing.

"We heard a noise and came out to see what happened. We realised a part of the Majerhat bridge collapsed and many are believed to be trapped inside. We have lent our hands to in the rescue works," an eye-witness told ANI.

Calling it a heartbreaking incident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters, "We are focused on the relief and the rescue work and that is our priority. The rest of the investigation will be done later. I want to go back as soon as possible. However, there are no flights available to Kolkata from Darjeeling in the evening." The chief minister left for Darjeeling on September 3 and was scheduled to return on September 6.

"We will launch a fast-track investigation to find out what exactly led to this disaster. There is a construction work going on for the upcoming metro rail in the area. So, we will have to find out what exactly happened. As of now six people have been rushed to the hospital and there are no news of casualties as of now. All those who were trapped have been rescued as well," Minister of Municipality Affairs of West Bengal Firhad Hakim told ANI.