Under-construction flyover collapses in Hooghly; none hurt

A portion of an under-construction flyover over the railway line along GT Road at Mogra in Hooghly collapsed on Sunday morning.

Though no casualties or injuries have been reported so far, the incident triggered panic among some local residents and prompted senior railway officials to reach the spot. The officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the collapse.

Police said that around 9.30 am a portion of the under-construction railway flyover collapsed. According to some local people, a truck is trapped under the debris of the flyover. The truck driver, however, was not in the vehicle when the flyover collapsed and escaped unhurt, some locals said.

The Hooghly district police are investigating whether any more vehicles are trapped under the debris. They confirmed that as per preliminary investigation there were no casualties in the incident. The police also confirmed that a dumper is trapped under the debris. They are conducting a thorough search to ensure no persons are trapped under the concrete chunks.

A bike was also found to have been crushed under the collapsed girder. The biker escaped unhurt as well as he had gone to the market after parking his motorcycle under the flyover.

The area is densely populated and a major tragedy was fortunately averted. Most people were shopping in the market located near the flyover.

Local people alleged that the railway authorities did not take adequate safety measures before starting the construction work. They said that there was no one under the girder at the time of its collapse.

Some local people staged a protest in the area demanding that railway authorities take necessary steps to ensure that the lives of people are not in danger in and around the construction site.

As the area is densely populated, there is always a possibility of a major tragedy.

Senior railway engineers reached the spot later in the day and started a probe to ascertain the cause of the accident. A senior railway engineer, on condition of anonymity, said it is too early to comment on the reason of the collapse. “It will be revealed only after a detail probe into the incident,” the engineer said.

Railway officials are also investigating if there was any negligence on the part of the construction company involved in the project. “Strict action will be taken against those who will be found guilty,” a railway official assured.

Railway engineers, who reached the spot, initially had to face the wrath of the agitating local people. Police, however, brought the situation under control.

Meanwhile, police are interrogating senior officials of the construction company to ascertain whether materials of poor quality were used for constructing the flyover. 

A senior official of the construction company, who visited the site of the accident, said that it is too early to comment on the cause of the accident. The locals, however, maintained that raw materials of poor quality were used for the construction and demanded a high-level probe into the incident.