Ten dead, 150 feared trapped in Kolkata flyover collapse

Firefighters and residents were trying with their bare hands to rescue those trapped under the wreckage that came down near Girish Park in a teeming commercial district.

A view shows the flyover which collapsed in Kolkata, India. Reuters

KOLKATA // Fourteen people were killed and another 70 were injured in Kolkata on Thursday when a flyover under construction collapsed onto traffic moving along the street below, police said.

Firefighters and residents tried with their bare hands to rescue those trapped under the wreckage that came down near Girish Park in a teeming commercial district.

Indian television footage from the scene showed a bloody hand reaching out from under what appeared to be a huge girder. People were trying to hand bottles of water to survivors pinned underneath.

“The condition is pathetic. At this moment no one has any clue how many people are trapped,” said Raichand Mohta, a police officer at the scene.

A witness said paramedics worked to free people from a minibus that was crushed in the collapse.

There was little sign of a coordinated rescue operation, with access for heavy lifting equipment restricted by the proximity of buildings on either side of the flyover and heavy traffic.

The flyover has been under construction since 2009 and has missed several deadlines for completion.

* Reuters