Kolkata warehouse collapse: Death toll climbs to 16, rescue ops on Day 3
Synopsis
Three days after a warehouse roof caved in at Taratala, Kolkata, the death toll has climbed to 16 — with 14 still hospitalised and no workers' register to confirm how many remain trapped. A BJP complaint has named former KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim and two TMC councillors, while an SIT probe points to substandard materials and a flawed casting method as the twin causes.
Key Takeaways
The Taratala warehouse collapse death toll rose to 16 on Saturday, 27 June , after one more injured worker succumbed overnight.
14 workers remain hospitalised at S.S.K.M.
Medical College and Hospital , with at least two in critical condition.
The Indian Army , NDRF , SDRF , and Railways are jointly conducting rescue operations, now in their third day .
An SIT preliminary probe found poor-quality construction material and a flawed casting pattern caused the collapse.
No workers' attendance register was maintained at the site, making it impossible to confirm how many people may still be trapped.
The BJP's Mazdoor Cell has filed a complaint against former KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim and TMC councillors Anwar Khan and Shams Iqbal .
The death toll in the Taratala warehouse roof collapse in Kolkata has risen to 16, the Kolkata Police confirmed on Saturday, 27 June, as rescue operations stretched into their third consecutive day. The latest fatality was a worker who had been under treatment and succumbed to injuries overnight, taking the count from 15 to 16.
Rescue Operations on Day 3
A multi-agency rescue effort — involving the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Railways — continued at the site on Saturday morning, though officials described the operation as being in its terminal stage. Advanced plasma-cutting and oxy-cutting machines have been deployed to slice through iron beams, while sniffer dogs and infrared victim locator cameras are being used to search for any survivors still trapped under the debris.
Notably, the absence of an attendance register at the site means authorities cannot determine with certainty how many workers may still be buried under the rubble — a significant complication for the ongoing search.
Condition of the Injured
14 workers remain under treatment at the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital in South Kolkata. According to hospital sources, the condition of at least a couple of the admitted patients is still critical.
What Caused the Collapse
A preliminary probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata Police has identified a combination of two factors as the likely cause: the use of poor-quality construction material and a flawed casting pattern adopted during construction. The under-construction warehouse at Taratala, on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, collapsed on Wednesday, triggering the multi-day rescue effort.
Political Row and Police Complaint
The disaster has triggered a political flashpoint. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Mazdoor Cell has filed a police complaint at Taratala Police Station against former Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor and ex-municipal affairs and urban development minister Firhad Hakim, along with two All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillors — Anwar Khan and Shams Iqbal — in connection with the collapse.
This comes amid broader scrutiny of construction safety oversight in the city. The lack of any workers' register at the site raises serious questions about regulatory compliance and accountability for those managing the project.
What Happens Next
The SIT probe is ongoing, and further findings are expected as authorities sift through the debris and gather statements. With multiple patients still critical and the exact worker count unverified, the death toll could yet rise. Pressure is mounting on the West Bengal government to explain how an under-construction structure of this scale was operating without basic labour documentation.
Point of View
Or rather, the absence of one. No attendance register, no worker count, no accountability for who was on site: these are not oversights, they are systemic lapses that allowed a lethal site to operate invisibly. The SIT's early finding of substandard materials and flawed casting points to contractor negligence, but the deeper question is who was responsible for inspecting and certifying this structure. With a BJP complaint naming a former TMC mayor and two councillors, the disaster is now politically live — but the accountability question must outlast the election cycle. West Bengal has seen recurring construction collapses; without enforceable site-safety mandates and mandatory worker documentation, the next one is a matter of when, not if.
NationPress
27 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Taratala warehouse collapse in Kolkata?
An under-construction warehouse roof collapsed at Taratala, on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, on Wednesday, 25 June. By Saturday, 27 June, the death toll had risen to 16, with 14 more workers still hospitalised.
What caused the Kolkata Taratala warehouse roof collapse?
A preliminary SIT probe by the Kolkata Police found that the collapse was caused by a combination of poor-quality construction materials and a flawed casting pattern used during construction. The investigation is ongoing.
How many people are still missing or trapped after the Taratala collapse?
Authorities cannot confirm the exact number because no workers' attendance register was maintained at the site. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs and infrared cameras are still searching for potential survivors on Day 3.
Who has been named in the police complaint over the Taratala warehouse collapse?
The BJP's Mazdoor Cell filed a complaint at Taratala Police Station against former KMC Mayor and ex-minister Firhad Hakim and two TMC councillors, Anwar Khan and Shams Iqbal, in connection with the disaster.
Which agencies are involved in the Kolkata warehouse rescue operation?
The rescue operation involves the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Railways. Plasma-cutting machines, sniffer dogs, and infrared victim locator cameras are being used at the site.
