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The death toll in Kolkata flyover collapse has raised to 24 as rescuers worked through the night in the Girish Park area.

The flyover was under construction when it collapsed suddenly on March 31.

Hopes of finding more survivors trapped under the collapsed bypass are fading in the Indian city formerly known as Calcutta.

The 1.2 mile-long flyover started construction in 2009 and missed several deadlines for completion.Kolkata flyover collapse rescue

Indian police have opened a case of culpable homicide against the company in charge of the construction, IVRCL.

Reports say five of the construction company’s officials have been detained for questioning and its headquarters in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad have been sealed off.

The company said it would co-operate with investigators. However one of its senior officials said in a news conference that the collapse had been “an act of god” as the company had a good safety record.

Officials said more than 90 people have been rescued, some of whom are in hospital in a critical condition.

SS Guleria of India’s National Disaster Response Force told the Associated Press that the rescue operation was in its “last stage” and that “there is no possibility of finding any person alive”.

It is not clear how many people may be still trapped under the debris.

Rescue workers have struggled to get cranes and other machinery through the narrow and congested streets of Burrabazar area where the incident happened.

The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear, but safety issues such as lack of inspections and the use of substandard materials have plagued construction projects in India.

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A flyover under construction collapsed in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) killing at least 10 people and leaving several others injured, Indian officials say.

Many people are feared trapped under the concrete and steel bridge, which fell on a busy road.

Fist images from the site showed residents using their bare hands to help the rescue effort.

Construction projects in India have often suffered from safety issues with frequent collapses.

Photo Reuters

Photo Reuters

According to experts, there is a lack of inspections and substandard materials are used.

The flyover has been under construction since 2009 and has missed several deadlines for completion, Reuters reported.

Emergency teams have been sent to the area near Girish Park, but witnesses say there is little sign of co-ordinated rescue efforts.

The collapsed structure appears to have hit cars, trucks and nearby shops.

The accident took place in one of Kolkata’s most densely populated neighborhoods, with narrow lanes, and shops and houses built close together.

The proximity of the buildings may limit the access for heavy lifting equipment to the area.

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Indian officials say at least 73 people have been killed in a fire that broke out in a hospital in the city of Calcutta (Kolkata).

Many of the dead people were patients who were trapped after the flames spread through the AMRI hospital in the southern part of Calcutta.

The fire started early on Friday in the multi-storey hospital’s basement, where flammable materials were stored.

Fire engines fought the blaze for five hours before bringing it under control.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the license of the hospital had been cancelled.

Mamata Banerjee said fire was an “unforgivable crime” and that those responsible would be given the harshest punishment.

Officials say the death toll is likely to rise as rescue workers are trying to reach the upper floors of the six-storey hospital in Dhakuria.

A Upadhay, a senior vice-president of the AMRI hospital company, told Associated Press there were 160 patients in the 190-bed hospital.

West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said many of the patients who died had suffocated on fumes.

A number were rescued. “We have taken 50 patients to an adjacent hospital. The situation is grim at the moment,” fire brigade chief Gopal Bhattacharya told Agence France-Presse news agency.

Bodies of patients wrapped in white sheets have been brought out by rescue workers, BBC reported.

Local people climbed into the hospital compound to rescue patients before fire engines arrived, our correspondent says.

The narrow surrounding streets made it difficult for the rescue service to arrive quickly.

The fire spread swiftly from the basement to the upper floors of the private hospital.

Television pictures showed patients being carried out on stretchers, with distraught relatives of trapped patients crowded outside the building.

One rescued patient said: “The attendants woke me up and dragged me down the stairs. I saw 10-15 patients at the top of the stairs trying to get down.”

Ananya Das, 35, who underwent surgery at the hospital on Thursday, said she was recovering when the fire broke out.

“I managed to walk towards an exit and then climb out of a window. I saw a lot of bodies,” she said.

More than 40 people died in a huge fire in a historic building in Calcutta in March last year.

Fires in high-rise buildings are fairly common in the city. There have been at least 10 major incidents since 2008.

Electrical short circuits have been responsible for most of these fires.

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