One Dead as Bridge Collapses in Indian City of Kolkata |
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VOA News
4 September 2018 (1:07PM)
One person was reported dead and several others injured after a bridge collapsed in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata Tuesday afternoon.
A 30 meter segment of the bridge fell onto the train tracks below. Several cars fell with it, including a bus. Photos from the scene showed vehicles half-buried and resting on top of the rubble.
Local police confirmed that at least one person had died and 19 others were injured. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said several more people might still be trapped underneath the rubble. Workers have been clearing debris from the scene.
Train services in Kolkata and outlying communities mostly stopped after the collapse, and thousands of commuters crowded the sidewalks as they made their way home. Local media reported that even app-based taxi services were refusing to give rides to the area.
Words of sympathy from government officials flooded social media after the collapse.
“The collapse of a part of a bridge in Kolkata is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the families of the victims,” tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest.”
The collapse of a part of a bridge in Kolkata is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the families of the victims. I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 4, 2018