West Bengal: 3 dead, 15 injured, 13 missing as jetty on Hooghly river collapses

The police said that the temporary bridge at the jetty was very weak and it broke down as more people gathered during the day.
Rescuers on boats and divers rush towards the victims after a jetty with 60 people on it collapsed in Telinipara ghat of Hooghly district in West Bengal on Wednesday. | EPS
Rescuers on boats and divers rush towards the victims after a jetty with 60 people on it collapsed in Telinipara ghat of Hooghly district in West Bengal on Wednesday. | EPS

KOLKATA: At least three people died when a jetty on river Hooghly at Telinipara ghat of Hooghly district in West Bengal collapsed at 11 am on Wednesday morning.

Some 50-60 people were on the jetty waiting for a ferry across the river to Shyamnagar ghat of North 24 Parganas district when it collapsed under the impact of high tide on the river. The death toll may rise as 13 persons are still missing and rescuers fear strong currents may have pulled them downstream.

“Fifteen people have been rescued in critical condition and admitted to Chandanagore hospital. Dead bodies of three persons have been fished out. Some 13 people are still missing of which 11 are men and 2 are women. After the collapse, many of the victims swam back to the shore. Fire Brigade and Natural Disaster Relief Mission (NDRM) team have been pressed into service to rescue the missing victims,” Telinipara police outpost sub-inspector Pradip Das told New Indian Express.

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West Bengal government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh for the deceased and Rs 25,000 for the injured. Minister of agriculture marketing Tapan Dasgupta, who rushed to the spot said: “The incident has occurred due to high tide. We are working our best to rescue the missing persons.”

Sources revealed rescuers fear that the many of the bodies may have flown downstream due to strong currents. Also, some of the bodies may be stuck under the rubble of the jetty. However, the search operation is likely to continue after dark and necessary lighting arrangements have been made, informed Hooghly police.

Meanwhile, locals complained that the jetty had not been repaired since it collapsed a year ago causing death of two people. “Just on the other side of the ghat is Shyamnagar railway station. Many daily commuters, including IT professionals travelling to Kolkata regularly take boats from the jetty to cross the river and reach the railway station. Despite several applications and promises in 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections, the jetty has not been repaired,” Shyamal Chakraborty, a local resident said.

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