Kolkata Warehouse Collapse: Rescue Ends, Investigation Begins

Kolkata: After 72 hours of digging through concrete and mangled steel to retrieve trapped labourers at the collapsed Taratala warehouse, focus shifted from search-and-rescue to investigation on Saturday.The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) withdrew from the site, and the Army scaled down its operation even as investigators prepared to take control of the site.“We were given disengagement orders on Saturday morning, following which we withdrew our teams from the site,” a senior NDRF officer said. “Over the last three days, we dug multiple vertical shafts through the debris to improve airflow and ventilation.

There is now negligible possibility of any survivors remaining trapped beneath the rubble. We have, therefore, vacated the site to allow heavy machinery to clear the debris,” he said.Over the next few days, forensic experts will preserve crucial evidence before engineers from the Public Works Department and Kolkata Municipal Corporation use heavy machinery to systematically clear the wreckage.A five-member team of engineers from Jadavpur University inspected the site on Saturday to assess possible structural failures.

Officials from the State Forensic Science Laboratory are expected to collect samples from the site to determine whether design flaws, substandard construction materials, or execution lapses led to the collapse that killed 16 people.A Special Investigation Team that will formally take charge of the site over the next two days will coordinate the forensic examination as the probe enters its most crucial phase, officers at Lalbazar said.A senior Army officer from Bihar Regiment said troops remained stationed at the site on standby, though they were no longer involved in rescue work. “We have thoroughly scanned the debris using life-detection equipment and found neither any signs of life nor any indication of decomposed bodies. We are now allowing investigators to take over the site while we await further orders,” the officer said.A senior Army officer leading the medical contingent said, “We are still keeping our medical teams stationed at the site.

In the unlikely event of a miraculous rescue, they will be able to provide immediate stabilising treatment before the victim is shifted to hospital.”On Saturday, specialised equipment, including oxy-cutters and plasma-cutters used extensively during the three-day operation, was gradually packed up. High-tech equipment such as thermal imaging cameras and infrared life-detection devices was also removed as three NDRF companies left the site.A senior police officer supervising operations said, “Search and rescue was our priority. With that phase almost over, the investigation will now gather pace. The JU team has already inspected the site, and officials from the forensic science laboratory are expected to visit on Sunday.”Sources said investigators have summoned several KMC-licensed building surveyors (LBS) for questioning over permissions granted for the construction of the warehouse. The LBS are empanelled civil engineers and architects authorised by the civic body to survey, prepare and, in certain cases, approve building plans.