News20 Media Network: 29-09-2021 :
The incident happened around 6.40 am at 9, Ahiritoal Lane in Jorabagan police station area -- one of the oldest localities of the city, they 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.
When taken to a hospital, a woman and a two-year-old baby were declared brought dead, police said.
The baby was the granddaughter of the woman, they said.
Among those alive, the conditions of two persons were quite critical, a police officer said.
Two families used to live in the dilapidated building, he said.
A huge team of the Disaster Management, Fire Department and the police were involved in the rescue efforts, he added.
Fire Minister Sujit Bose and Woman and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja, who is the local MLA, visited the spot to oversee the rescue operations.
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 experienced heavy rains since Tuesday evening. In the 24 hours till 8 am on Wednesday, the city recorded 87 mm of rainfall.
