Death toll from Indian flyover collapse rises to 26

The death toll of a flyover collapse in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata has risen to 26 as two more bodies were extricated from the debris, said local media Saturday.

The Press Trust of India quoted a senior Kolkata Police officer as saying while two more people were confirmed dead, the number of the injured in the mishap has risen to 89.

Police said more bodies could be still buried under the debris as people were getting foul smell from underneath the rubble, but rescuers have to be very cautious while carrying out the rescue due to proximity of many old residential houses there.

A portion of the under-construction Vivekananda flyover in downtown Kolkata, which was reportedly around 60-meter long, collapsed on Thursday, crushing many people to death.

The local government has ordered a high-level probe into the tragedy, which has also triggered a blame game between political parties. The opposition accuses chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee of negligence, but she has denied it.

Three senior officials of the Hyderabad-based construction company IVRCL, which was building the flyover for seven years, were arrested by police on Friday. Endit