‘Blast’ at wedding venue in Kolkata, security staffer dead – Times of India

Mayukh Sengupta
KOLKATA: A member of the security staff died and two were critically injured after the security room on the compound of a luxury hotel in Baguihati collapsed into the underground water reservoir after a deafening explosion and a fire a little after 7pm on Monday.
Police and fire brigade sources said there was a wedding reception at hotel Celesta on the arterial VIP Road when the incident occurred, but no one from the wedding party was injured, as the main building was not affected.
Police sources said it appeared that the concrete slabs over the underground water reservoir had collapsed. This water reservoir is the emergency reservoir which is used to tackle fires, said an officer, adding, “One possible reason for the accident is an explosion in the pump in the reservoir. When this collapsed, this brought down the security room. Over the security room was an electrical panel, which also collapsed, causing a short circuit and the fire.” Witnesses claimed there were at least three security personnel in the room when it collapsed.
It is too early to say for certain what exactly happened. “Forensic experts are at the spot, trying to ascertain the reason. Our first job now is to clear the debris and look out for survivors. There were around three people in the security room when it collapsed. Two have been rescued and sent to the hospital in a very critical condition,” said an officer.
Till reports last came in, disaster personnel were trying to cut through the concrete slabs to clear the rubble and search for possible survivors. While two persons were found initially, a third man, Chandra Sekhar Bera (38), who was brought out by fire brigade after three-and-a-half hours, later died. He was a security staffer and resident of East Midnapore.
“The search operations will continue until the rubble is cleared,” an officer said.
The cops said the wedding invitee on the main hotel building’s seventh floor was prevented from getting hurt because the guards reacted quickly and followed fire safety protocols.
Father of the bride Saktipada Sau, who had arrived from Kharagpur, said, “The ceremony had just about started. It was 7 or 7.15pm. All we heard was an explosion and the power snapped. The guards were alert and prompt. They escorted us out through the fire escape. Had they not acted on time, it would have been disastrous.”