Kolkata flyover collapse: 18 killed

"18 people have been killed in the mishap," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee  told media.

Several people are still feared to be trapped under the debris of the bridge.

Rescue operation is currently going on in the area.

The mishap occurred at around 12.30 pm.

A close circuit camera footage  showed people, cars, buses, auto rickshaws and hawkers being crushed when the flyover collapsed on them.

Locals rushed to help to rescue people who were trapped under the debris.

K Panduranga Rao of the Hyderabad-based IVRCL, the company which built the flyover, told media that the incident was an 'act of God'.

Several people have been pulled out from the rubble while the injured have been rushed to hospital.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to the spot of the mishap and said the guilty will not be spared.

"The guilty will not be spared. We will take action. A very, very unfortunate tragedy. Rescue operation is now our first priority," Banerjee said.

After the mishap, the state government announced a compensation of Rs.5 lakh to the families of the deceased, Rs.2 lakh for those critically injured and Rs.1 lakh for those who suffered minor injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in the US, also mourned the loss of lives in the mishap.

Modi tweeted: "Shocked & saddened by collapse of under construction flyover in Kolkata. Took stock of the situation & rescue operations."

"My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in Kolkata. May the injured recover at the earliest," he said.

The place where the mishap occurred is considered to be one of the most congested areas in the city.

(Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)