Ghastly Incident: Bridge collapsed in Kolkata, Many trapped

Kolkata: In a ghastly incident, The Majerhat Bridge on busy Diamond Harbour Road reportedly collapsed around 4.45 pm on Tuesday.

A part of the central section of the structure caved in and as a result, a few cars, two-wheelers and a bus that was on that section plunged below.

Many people are feared trapped underneath, some still in their vehicles. Six people are believed to be injured. Locals who rushed to the spot said one man died while they were trying to rescue him.

The army, which has its base in the nearby Fort William, has already sent its personnel for rescue work in the area.

The bridge stood over some rail tracks in Alipur, one of the very old areas of the city. The area is surrounded by half-constructed buildings, scaffolding and pillars.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a visit to Darjeeling, said the priority now "is relief and rescue... The rest of the investigation will be done later".

"We want to go back as soon as possible. There are no flights in the evening, we are unable to do so," the Chief Minister added.

Eyewitnesses said around 4.45 pm, a huge segment of the bridge came crashing down. Pictures from the area showed the collapsed section resting on the road, at least six vehicles, including a mini bus, still on it.

In March 2016, a section of an under-construction flyover had collapsed in central Kolkata's busy Burrabazar area.

After days of rescue efforts by special teams, 26 people were found dead, buried under tons of concrete. Nearly 90 people, with various levels of injury, were rescued from under the rubble. Eight engineers were arrested in the case.