Kolkata warehouse collapse toll rises to 15 as rescue enters Day 3

The death toll in the warehouse collapse at Taratala in south Kolkata rose to 15 on Friday after two more bodies were recovered from the debris and two injured workers died in hospital, as rescue teams pressed on with a large-scale search operation for those still feared trapped.

Rescue personnel from multiple agencies resumed operations early on Friday, nearly 48 hours after the roof of the warehouse on Transport Depot Road collapsed, trapping dozens of workers inside.

Officials said two bodies were recovered late on Thursday night, although their identities are yet to be confirmed. On Friday morning, two injured workers, Mannu Kumar and Sahil Sardar, succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the state-run SSKM Hospital.

Nineteen-year-old Mannu Kumar, a resident of Bihar's Munger district, had been pulled alive from the debris on Wednesday and underwent surgery on Thursday night. Despite medical intervention, he died in the early hours of Friday. His brother, Ghi Kumar, was among those killed in the collapse, while their father remains hospitalised with injuries.

According to officials, 18 injured persons are currently receiving treatment at SSKM Hospital.

Authorities believe several workers may still be trapped beneath the rubble. Rescue teams said their immediate focus remains locating survivors and ensuring prompt medical care for those rescued.

Officials said the operation would continue until every section of the collapsed structure had been thoroughly searched. They added that rescue workers were proceeding cautiously because the damaged building remains structurally unstable.

Personnel from the Army, Kolkata Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Management Group and other emergency agencies have been working continuously since Wednesday, cutting through twisted steel beams and removing heavy concrete slabs.

Specialised cameras have been deployed beneath the debris to detect signs of life, while investigators are also using mobile phone tower data to identify the locations of individuals whose mobile phones remain active under the collapsed structure.

The Indian Railways joined the rescue effort on Friday after the NDRF sought specialised assistance in cutting and removing heavy steel sections obstructing access to the trapped workers. Railway teams equipped with oxy-cutting machines began operations after assessing the site on Thursday.

The warehouse roof collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, triggering one of Kolkata's deadliest industrial accidents in recent years and prompting an extensive multi-agency rescue effort that remains underway.

With PTI inputs