India: bridge fall in Kolkata leaves one dead and 25 injured

One dead, 25 injured and several vehicles trapped is the balance left by the fall of a bridge in Kolkata, India.

The bridge of Majerhat, in the east of India collapsed yesterday and the authorities still do not know if there are more wounded or mortal victims among the rubbish. The official figures indicate that the – sudden – collapse of the bridge in Calcutta has left one dead and 25 injured.

The bridge in question was characterized as a busy highway, which is why when it collapsed several vehicles – public and private – were crushed and others trapped between the asphalt and stones.

Asked by the press about the number of deaths and injuries, the authorities said that although the figure is not exact there are more than twenty injured, a figure that was confirmed by a doctor at the Seth Sukhlal Karnani Hospital.

In this regard, Mamata Banerjee, Prime Minister of West Bengal said that she was aware that under the bridge an office was working and that after the collapse the workers would have been trapped.

Why did the Majerhat bridge collapse?

Mamata Banerjee pointed out that the causes of the collapse are still unknown and that the main task of the government -now- is to rescue all the affected people in their entirety. “The rest of the investigation will be done later,” he said.

The fall of this overpass has brought to mind the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa, which collapsed on August 14 and left 41 dead and dozens injured.