With five more workers reported dead in Kolkata’s Taratala warehouse collapse, the death toll has increased to 16 on Friday (June 26, 2026). Three people rescued from the accident site on Friday morning were declared dead at the hospital. Two workers succumbed to injuries at a State-run health facility over the past 24 hours.
According to the police, 33 people have been rescued from the accident site, of which 16 workers have died, and 17 are being administered treatment in a State-run health facility.
Six persons have been arrested in connection with the accident, which includes the lessee of the land on which the warehouse was constructed, the structural engineer and a former officer-on-special duty (OSD) to the former Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim.
Rescue operations are being carried out at the accident site by personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who are trying to locate any sign of life in the debris. Equipment from Indian Railways is also being used, and Indian Army personnel are participating in the rescue work. A senior officer of NDRF said that the accident area has been analysed and three specific areas have been identified, where there will be “aggressive cutting” of the debris.
“Rescue operations are going on. NDRF is leading the rescue operation. They are trying their best, and they are hopeful that if the weather is conducive, they can complete rescue work by tonight,” the Chief Minister said on Friday.
Mr. Adhikari also said that the Kolkata Police Commissioner is supervising the investigation and the State government has decided to blacklist the architect, planner and supervisor firm engaged in the project.
On Thursday (June 25), the Chief Minister had announced suspension of all ongoing commercial construction projects in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area and adjoining areas, adding that building plans in these areas will undergo a comprehensive audit. Mr. Adhikari had said that a high-level committee has been constituted for the purpose, headed by IAS officer Rajesh Pandey, which will be submitted in seven days.
At 12.07 a.m. on Wednesday (June 24), the roof of the under-construction warehouse collapsed leaving several workers buried inside the debris. The land was leased out to a private operator by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority for the construction of a warehouse.
Locals claimed that over 40 workers were working at the construction site when the accident occurred, though the police said that there was no record of how many workers were at the site when the structure came crashing down.
The Chief Minister, who had said that the building plan for the warehouse was faulty, had blamed the “sins of the previous Trinamool Congress regime” for the accident. The incident has also put questions over the role played by former city Mayor Firhad Hakim who had joined the rebel faction of Trinamool led by Ritabrata Banerjee. Loyalists of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a section of the BJP leadership have raised the demand to arrest the former Mayor.
Published - June 26, 2026 03:25 pm IST
accident (general) / Kolkata / Bengal
Source: The Hindu - India News
