50-year-old Kolkata bridge collapses, 1 dies

​Kolkata: A section of an over 50-year-old bridge on the arterial Diamond Harbour Road in south Kolkata collapsed Tuesday evening, snuffing out one life, trapping several people and crushing many vehicles, police said. The Majerhat bridge in the crowded Alipore area caved in around 4.45 pm during rush hour.

It runs over the Majerhat Railway Station and connects the city centre with the heavily populated Behala, the vast area of the south west suburbs and neighbouring South 24 Parganas district. Police confirmed the death of one person and said 19 others, including two women were injured. 

The injured have been admitted to SSKM and CMRI hospitals, the police added. Fire brigade personnel engaged in the rescue work had earlier said 25 injured were pulled out from the rubble. Additional lighting arrangements have been made to facilitate the rescue work at night. One minibus, four cars and a few motorbikes which were hit by the collapse were seen lying at the accident site till evening. 

An eyewitness claimed that some people in a minibus and private cars were trapped. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is now in Darjeeling, said that rescue work was almost over and only a concrete slab remains to be cut to find out whether any person was trapped there. 

She said there was a hut under the bridge and some labourers engaged in Metro rail construction work used to stay. "Had they been there during the time of accident, an unfortunate thing might have happened", she said.