Kolkata flyover collapse kills 21, rescue ops continue

"12 dead bodies have been handed over to their families& 3 are awaiting final documentation. 6 bodies are still unidentified," AITC tweeted quoting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Several people are feared to be trapped under the debris.

Rescue officials are working to pull the bodies from under the debris.

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 and 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.

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(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)