Tragedy puts life out of gear for kin of victims

The Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on Thursday witnessed a tragic sight when relatives of the injured persons were found running helter-skelter carrying photographs of their near and dear ones.

Cries for help by the relatives of the victims’ pierced the air with local people trying hard to comfort them in times of great personal loss. Hundreds of people gathered outside the emergency department with anxious faces in order to know about the health conditions of their dear ones who suffered injuries after a portion of Vivekananda fly over fell on them.

The air outside the emergency department of the CMCH was filled with the screaming voices of the next of kin of the deceased. Tears rolled down the cheeks of the victim’s relatives who congregated outside the hospital and saw the injured persons being shifted to the hospital.

Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee reached the CMCH to supervise the treatment following the instruction from the Chief Minister. Senior health department hospital had asked all the government and private hospitals in the city not to transfer any accident victim. Leave has been cancelled for the junior doctors and nurses in the CMCH. The junior doctors and nurses in the hospital along with the senior doctors put up an effort to save the lives of the victims. Director of Medical Education Susanta Banerjee had visited the hospital and supervised the treatment of the victims.

The relatives of the persons who were declared brought dead after being taken to the hospital faced difficulties to identify them as the bodies were disfigured due to them remaining under the concrete debris for hours. The local people joined hands with the hospital staff members in the time of crisis. A senior official at the CMCH said that nine persons were undergoing treatment in the hospital while 11 persons died at the hospital. Some of the injured persons were taken to Marwari Relief Society Hospital among which three persons died in the hospital, while one died at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Among the 11 who died at CMCH and whose bodies were identified were Sanjay Meharoia (50), Tapan Dutta (58), Prakash Dhali (35), Ajay Kumar Kondai (48), Sarita Kondoi (45), Asha Jyoti (65), Gajendra Sethia (32). Dhali was a resident of Nadia district while the rest were from various places in the city. Rajib Shaw (33), a resident of Dum Dum died at RG Kar Hospital. Mahadeb Adak (55), a Howrah resident, Samar Thakur (60) a Ultadanga resident and Golap Mali (57), a resident of the city died in the Marwari Relief Society Hospital. 

Around 11 persons were admitted to Marwari Relief Society Hospital, while 7 persons were undergoing treatment at CMCH, one each in RK Kar Medical College and Hospital and Vishudananda Saraswati Hospital.

Even some of the people who gathered outside the emergency department of the hospital fell ill after they witnessed a procession of death.