A portion of a 40-year-old bridge collapsed in South Kolkata on Tuesday, crushing a man to death and leaving 19 injured and several vehicles damaged. The incident threw normal life in large parts of South Kolkata and South 24 Parganas district off gear, as train services and vehicular traffic were disrupted. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who confirmed one death, expressed apprehension about the fate of five-eight people who might be buried in the rubble. Nineteen injured people have been admitted in two city hospitals, she told the media in north Bengal's Darjeeling and announced a probe into the incident.

Locals, however, claimed five people have been killed in the bridge collapse. At least 20-25 injured people have been rescued by fire officials while more people are feared trapped under the rubble, officials said. "A part of the Majherhat bridge between Taratala and Mominpur collapsed around 4.30 p.m," a fire official said. Initially six fire tenders were pressed into service.