The death toll in the Taratala warehouse roof collapse in Kolkata climbed to nine by Thursday morning, 26 June 2025, a day after the roof of an under-construction warehouse on P2 Transport Depot Road caved in, trapping roughly 40 workers inside. 20 survivors are currently being treated at SSKM Hospital, with two in critical condition, according to hospital sources.

Rescue Operations Continue

Rescue teams were still working through the debris on Thursday morning, with sources indicating that three to four workers remain trapped. Special radar equipment has been deployed to locate survivors, and sniffer dogs have been at the site since Wednesday. The Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Kolkata Police's Disaster Management Group, the state Fire and Emergency Services Department, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials are jointly supervising the operation. Hydraulic cranes and gas cutters have been used to clear sections of the collapsed structure.

Five Arrested, SIT Constituted

Police have so far arrested five individuals in connection with the collapse. Those in custody are Gulzar Hossain (supervisor of Ayan Traders), Kamal Samanta (iron structure manufacturer), Shambhunath Behera (who held the land lease), Dibarak Bhandari (labour supplier and Trimex contractor), and Abdul Hamid (an intermediary for construction plan approvals at the KMC). Investigators are examining whether additional individuals were involved and have indicated further arrests are possible.

Kolkata Police have also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. The SIT will be headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) and includes Joysurja Mukherjee (Assistant Commissioner of Police), Inspector Debasis Dutta (Officer-in-Charge, Homicide Squad), Inspector Hirak Dalapati (newly appointed investigating officer), Inspector Sarfaraz Ahmed (Anti-Rowdy Squad), and Sub-Inspectors Manas Bhattacharya and Kushal Mondal of Taratala Police Station.

A suo motu FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide and attempt to commit culpable homicide. Investigators are also probing allegations of construction lapses, including claims that tin sheets were used beneath the concrete roofing structure — a potential indicator of sub-standard construction practices.

What the Chief Minister Said

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the accident site on Wednesday and subsequently met injured workers at SSKM Hospital. He attributed the collapse to a 'faulty building plan' and said action would be taken against the warehouse's owners. In a significant administrative step, Adhikari announced that work at all under-construction commercial properties within the KMC area will be suspended until 31 July. 'In the aftermath of today's incident, I have given instructions to the KMC to suspend work in all under-construction commercial properties till July 31. We will conduct an audit of their building plan, site plan and on-the-spot inspection. Those whose papers will be in place can resume work from August 1,' he said.

Background and Broader Context

The collapse occurred on Wednesday afternoon, 25 June 2025, when the roof of the warehouse gave way while workers were inside. Locals were the first to respond before emergency services arrived. This incident is among the deadliest construction accidents in Kolkata in recent years, raising fresh questions about oversight of commercial construction projects and the role of intermediaries in securing municipal approvals. Notably, the arrest of an alleged KMC approval intermediary signals that investigators are looking beyond the site itself toward the regulatory chain that cleared the project.

With the SIT investigation underway and a statewide audit of commercial construction sites ordered, the coming weeks will determine whether accountability extends to those who approved the building plan in the first place.