Kolkata, April 2

Indian police have arrested three employees of the construction firm building a flyover which collapsed in the eastern city of Kolkata, as the death toll rose to 26, a senior officer said Saturday.

The arrests were made late yesterday after police sealed the Kolkata office of IVRCL, the contractor behind the ill-fated construction project in West Bengal state.

Five other staff were detained for questioning over the tragedy that unfolded after a 100-metre section of the flyover crashed down on Thursday, crushing pedestrians and vehicles on the street below. “Three mid-level officials of the Hyderabad-based construction firm were arrested last night,” Kolkata police joint commissioner Debasish Boral told AFP.

“We have also detained five others of the firm, sealed its office in Kolkata and sent a notice to its managing director to join the investigation into the incident,” he said.

The three arrested employees are expected to appear in court today, where a public prosecutor will outline the initial charges against them. Although officials have ruled out the chance of finding any more survivors under the rubble, a rescue operation continued today at the site where blocks of concrete and twisted girders lay strewn.

The death toll rose to 26 after rescuers found the body of a truck driver’s assistant lying crushed under the rubble, Boral said.

The West Bengal government has ordered an investigation into the state agency responsible for infrastructure and construction, over how the project came to be approved.

Police have registered a case of culpable homicide against the firm while Derek O’Brien, a state lawmaker, has said the company had been blacklisted in other states and had a “bad reputation”.

Construction of the two-kilometre-long flyover began in 2009 and was supposed to be completed within 18 months, but suffered a series of hold-ups.

IVRCL has denied responsibility for the disaster in the capital of West Bengal state. A company representative infuriated victims on Thursday when he described the disaster as an “act of God”.