#KolkataBridgeCollapse: Recalling horror, survivor tells his car started sinking
Madan Jha, who was driving his cab from Behala to Ekbalpore (a route he has taken a thousand times) recalled how his car started sinking when the Majerhat bridge in Kolkata collapsed on Tuesday. Recalling the exact moment when the bridge collapsed, Jha told HT, "The ground below me began to shake. My car began sinking downwards." Fortunately, he and the passenger deboarded somehow.
On Tuesday at around 4:45 PM, a portion of the Majerhat bridge near Taratala, Kolkata, collapsed. Latest reports suggest one person died and 25 were injured. The rescue operations are underway to clear the debris. At least one minibus and several cars were crushed. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered high-level probe. She said action will be taken against 'those whose negligence caused disaster'.
When the bridge collapsed, locals rushed to rescue those who were trapped under debris. Jha had a bottle of water inside his cab, which he brought for people. "There were many who needed help. I could participate in the efforts to rescue five persons. Perhaps I should have done more," a localite Sabir Ahmed said. Traffic police officers also stepped up.
One Rokeya Bibi left the bridge minutes before it collapsed. A metro rail worker said 65, including him, lived in a temporary shelter under the bridge. "I shudder to think what could have happened when we were sleeping under the structure," he said. Homemaker Subhashree Banerjee's husband had a close shave. "Though he was completely safe, he was stupefied by the disaster," she said.
The deceased was identified as 21-year-old Soumen Bag. He had fallen headlong into the wedge as the deck split into two, and died. His friend said Bag's birthday was last Sunday, but the celebrations were postponed. "But now, it won't happen anymore."
