The under-construction structure was part of a multi-storey warehouse and cold storage complex being developed by Behera Brothers.
Published: June 24, 2026, 5:59 PM IST
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A search and rescue operation is underway at the site where an under-construction godown shed collapsed in Taratala in Kolkata. ANI
A three-storey under-construction warehouse collapsed in Kolkata’s Taratala area on Wednesday, trapping several people in the rubble. According to police, the 13 people have been rescued so far with 10 of the injured admitted to the Trauma Care Centre of the state-run SSKM hospital.
The warehouse was being built on a leasehold property owned by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in the city. “The roof of the warehouse located on the Transport Depot Road near Brace Bridge in the Taratala area collapsed around noon. Our officers have reached the spot,” the officer said. He further said, “Some people were working at the site at the time of the incident. We fear that quite a few people may still be trapped under the debris.”
What happened?
Massive chunks of iron beams and concrete crumbled when several people were engaged in the construction work. Eyewitnesses said they heard trapped victims crying out for help from beneath the debris. “Construction activities were taking place on the ground floor while the RCC structure for the first and second floors had been completed. Suddenly, the entire structure came crashing down,” an eyewitness said.
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According to a fire department official, the roof of the three-storey under-construction warehouse collapsed during casting work. He also alleged that substandard materials were being used in the construction of the warehouse. Personnel of the Kolkata Police, Disaster Management Group, civil defence, and fire and emergency services teams were seen carrying out rescue operations at the site on a war footing.
Army officials were also seen aiding rescue operations, while cranes and heavy equipment lifting machinery were deployed at the site to remove the collapsed iron beams. Gas cutters were being used to cut through the iron and concrete, and rescue workers were trying to reach the trapped victims by means of vertical drilling.
NDRF team reached site
Sniffer dogs and overhead drones were deployed by the NDRF team to detect possible signs of life underneath the debris.
“We are following the cries for help coming from under the debris. At the same time, we are assuring the trapped people that they will be rescued soon,” a member of the Kolkata Police disaster management group said.
Control room numbers — 1070, 8697981070, 033-22143526/22535185 — of the Disaster Management Group were opened at the state secretariat in the wake of the incident.
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“We will definitely look into the causes of the accident and whether there were any irregularities. But right now, the priority is to rescue as many victims as possible,” Minister Indranil Khan said.
Officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation present at the site opined that there was prima facie evidence of design and construction flaws that may have led to the collapse. “It seems that the iron beams weren’t strong enough to hold the weight of the overhead concrete. Also, I cannot see any braces that are required to support RCC casting.
“We will have to check whether the design of the structure was approved by the civic body and, if it was, whether work was being carried out as per the requirements of the approved design,” a structural engineer present at the spot said.
CM Suvendu Adhikari expresses condoles demise
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari mourned the tragedy and announced that he would visit the affected area to take stock of the circumstances and ongoing response efforts.
Deeply pained and saddened by the tragic loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction warehouse building near Brace Bridge in Taratala, where several workers got trapped beneath the debris. So far 21 people have been pulled out of the collapsed structure, out of… pic.twitter.com/Hq9vZhg5AI
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 24, 2026
He wrote on X that he was devastated by the tragic collapse of an under-construction warehouse building near Brace Bridge in Taratala, where several workers were trapped. Mourning the loss of three lives, he offered his deepest condolences to the affected families.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader Fayaz Ahmad Khan blamed the Kolkata Port authorities and the state administration for the incident, alleging that repeated complaints about illegal construction activities had been ignored.
