Bystanders, locals rise up to occasion

kolkata — Strewn body parts, splattered blood, mangled vehicles and people wailing — Kolkata’s bustling Ganesh Talkies crossing resembled a war zone on Thursday after a flyover under construction came crashing over people and motorists.

It was business as usual on the busy street — one of the oldest and the busiest thoroughfares of the city — before mayhem struck at around 12.25pm.

“Suddenly I heard a rumbling sound. Before I could realise what it was, I saw the flyover crashing down, crushing people and vehicles,” said Raju Shaw, who runs a paan shop.

Scores of people like Shaw braved the fallen rubble to rush to rescue victims buried under the debris.

Carrying the injured on their backs, the bravehearts began ferrying the injured to the nearest hospital. Others offered water to those who had escaped with minor injuries but were too dazed.

Having cheated death by a whisker, street vendor Bimal Das also lent his hand in the rescue work before soldiers, the NDRF and Disaster Management Group poured in to clear the tonnes of rubble. “I am lucky to have escaped certain death. The moment I heard the rumble, I ran to the opposite side thinking it to be an earthquake,” said Das. He is still stunned by the tragedy that has claimed 14 lives and left at least 78 seriously injured.

Besides numerous pedestrians, cyclists and street vendors, witnesses said that several vehicles including a crowded mini bus and taxis were trapped beneath the iron and mortar rubble.

Besides lending a hand in the rescue work, the locals also provided drinking water to army and NDRF personnel who worked tirelessly, cutting through the mangled iron girders and mortars looking for survivors.

Several voluntary blood donation camps quickly came up. Many donors rushed to various hospitals. Several blood banks offered blood free of cost.

The tech savvy used social networking sites and WhatsApp to communicate useful information including the hospitals where the injured had been admitted.

Meanwhile, angry locals vented their ire against the West Bengal government’s ‘feeble’ attempts to rescue the injured from the debris. Their grievances were against the state’s disaster management units which, they said, ‘arrived late’. Many people protested when city mayor Sovan Chattopadhyay arrived at the spot to take stock of the situation. “The teams came late and with nothing that could help in the rescue process,” a resident of Girish Park area, that is close to the collapse site, said. —