India Bridge Collapse: Death toll rises to 22, rescuers race to the rescue

As of this morning (April 1), hundreds of rescue workers are still busy digging through the rubble, searching for victims buried in a collapsed overpass in Kolkata, India.

The death toll has risen to at least 22.

Hundreds of rescue workers and local residents are racing against time to save those trapped under the rubble.

About 100 meters of the flyover, spanning Girish Park – a densely populated residential area, famous for its wholesale markets in Kolkata – collapsed around mid-day on March 31. Vehicles and pedestrians moving below were crushed by the entire section of the bridge.

Initially, when the area was still covered in a light drizzle, many desperate residents dug through the rubble with shovels, even with their bare hands. Then, a rescue team of hundreds of people and the military rushed to the scene with heavy equipment such as a 140-ton crane to move the concrete slab.

However, as of this morning (April 1), the search has not yet ended. Director of the National Crisis Response Agency Major General Anurag Gupta said that no one knows how long the rescue will last; no one knows how many people have died. “We cannot estimate how many people are trapped under the collapsed bridge area. We cannot say anything exactly because this is a bridge collapse, not a building collapse.”

At least 75 others were injured in the accident; more than 100 others are still missing, Mr. Gupta added.

In this unexpected accident situation, whenever a person did not return home, people in Kolkata panicked, wondering if they were among the trapped people or among the casualties.

The family of the victim, Shabana Farooqui, 35, is also frantically searching for her relatives. Because, at the time of the accident, Shabana Farooqui picked up her two children from school but has not been home yet. The family searched all the hospitals and morgues but could not find her, and do not know if she and her children are alive or dead.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “I am shocked and saddened by the bridge collapse. My prayers are with the families of the victims. We will do our best to search for and rescue the injured and trapped people as soon as possible.”