Kolkata, July 25 (IANS): Two people were killed when an old two-storied building partially collapsed here on Tuesday, police said.
"Himardi Pahari, 38, a local and Hansa Sahu, 18, a resident of the building in Taltala (in central Kolkata), came under the debris. Both of them were taken to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital after being extricated but declared dead by doctors," police said.
A part of the first floor and the balcony of the building at 10-B Indian Mirror Street collapsed, and Fire Brigade, Disaster Management and police personnel were rushed to the spot to initiate the rescue operation.
City Mayor and state Fire Minister Sovan Chatterjee, who also visited the spot after the incident, said at least two people were trapped under the wreckage.
"According to a local report, two people including a teenage girl are feared trapped under the collapsed building. Our personnel are conducting the rescue operation taking a lot of life risk as left over parts of the building may also collapse anytime," he said.
"The house was in an extremely vulnerable condition. Rest of the building would be immediately demolished. We will prioritise the demolition of any other houses in the city in such fragile condition," he added.
The fire department said they retrieved the two from beneath the wreckage at around 5 p.m. after an almost three hour rescue operation.
"We retrieved the two in an unconscious state and sent them to the hospital. The rescue operation is still on to see it anybody else is also trapped under the scrap," a fire official said.
