A 61-year-old woman died when a portion of a more than two-centuries-old building at Jorabagan in north Kolkata collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.
“An old lady was killed. None were injured. The building was very old and dilapidated. The locals were alerted by the noise of building falling down and rescued her. Teams from West Bengal fire services department, state disaster management department and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the scene. Sniffer dogs were also in action. All were safely evacuated. No one suffered any injuries. “A portion of the building collapsed. A woman was killed. Others were safely evacuated. In a separate incident at Posta in central Kolkata, a portion of another building collapsed.
At least 18 others were rescued. The incident happened around 5.30am. “We reached the spot within 20 minutes. We had information that 10 men, seven women and two children were trapped. Residents of an adjacent building on 30 Brajadulal Street have also been evacuated. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) confirmed that the building was over 200-year-old and that it had earlier declared the building ‘dangerous’ and ‘dilapidated’.
A portion of it collapsed after heavy rains in Kolkata,” said a senior police officer. The woman, Urmila Sau had stepped out of her house when the portion collapsed, according to locals. The debris fell on her and buried her under it, they said. The two buildings have been sealed,” said a NDRF official. We had earlier notified it as dangerous and dilapidated,” Smita Pandey, commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, said. Police, however, said that no one was killed and none were injured.
