Teams of Disaster Management, Fire Department, and police conducted rescue ops (Representational)
Two people were killed and two others critically injured after a portion of a house collapsed in north Kolkata's Ahiritola Lane today amid heavy rains, the police said. The incident happened around 6.40 am at 9, Ahiritoal Lane - one of the oldest localities of the city, they said.
The woman and her two-year-old granddaughter were declared dead on arrival at a hospital, they said, adding, two families were living in the dilapidated building.
Among the survivors, the conditions of two persons are quite critical, a police officer said.
Nine persons were rescued from beneath the rubbles of the old building, which the Kolkata Municipal Corporation had declared dangerous, its chief Firhad Hakim said.
A huge team of the Disaster Management, Fire Department, and the police were involved in the rescue efforts, the police said.
Fire Minister Sujit Bose and Woman and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja - also the local MLA - visited the spot to oversee the rescue operations.
Firhad Hakim blamed those living in the building for the deaths, saying they did not vacate it despite repeated warnings.
"The entire building is in a very bad shape. We cannot take any chances and that is why we are pulling down the rest of the structure. If the occupants had listened to us, we could have avoided this disaster," he said.
Kolkata has been experiencing heavy rains since last evening. In the 24 hours, till 8 am today, the city recorded 87 mm of rainfall.