Two building collapses on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, at construction sites in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and Kolkata, India, have resulted in confirmed fatalities and an unknown number of people trapped beneath rubble. In Port Harcourt, a structure on Odili Road gave way, while in Kolkata’s Taratala district an under-construction warehouse collapsed. Rescue operations involving emergency services, security forces and, in Kolkata, army columns, were continuing at both locations into the night.

In Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Ministry of Health confirmed that two severely injured victims were rescued and taken to Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. Medical sources and eyewitnesses reported at least one fatality, a worker struck by a falling pillar, and a survivor, a mason, told journalists that at least eight people were inside when the building collapsed, including his brother who remains missing. Conflicting accounts describe the building as either three or five storeys; an anonymous resident alleged that the original approval was for a three-storey hotel, but two additional floors were added after the initial engineer resigned. Authorities have not yet determined the cause, though some eyewitnesses blamed substandard materials. Rescue teams, including the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, deployed excavators and floodlights to continue searching.

In Kolkata, the collapse of a multi-storey warehouse on land leased from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority killed at least five workers, according to the West Bengal government. About 25 people have been rescued, but officials fear up to 18 others may still be trapped. Local residents described a tremor followed by a loud noise, and many joined initial rescue efforts, pulling out several victims. The Chief Minister ordered a halt to all building activities in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area pending an audit by 31 July. On Thursday, Kolkata police arrested five people, including the structural engineer, and registered a case against six individuals. A special investigation team has been formed, and the Indian Army deployed four columns to assist in drilling through debris to reach trapped workers.

In both cities, the exact number of missing remains unconfirmed, with authorities relying on worker accounts and contractor records. The Kolkata police have launched a formal investigation, while in Port Harcourt no arrests or inquiry have yet been announced. Rescue operations are ongoing, and provisional casualty figures may change.