Bellary:
A man has been pulled out alive from the debris of a building in Bellary that collapsed eight days ago. The under-construction building had collapsed onto a student hostel on January 26, leaving 25 people dead. There was very little hope of finding anybody else alive after so many days.
Eight days of an unbelievable nightmare, and then Mallaiah saw the light of day once again. The 35-year old-labourer from Andhra Pradesh was one of several people trapped in the rubble of the building that collapsed on the evening of Republic Day.
"I didn't know how many days I was there - it was totally dark. There was some water in a pot. I prayed to god for rescue. Then suddenly today I saw light and got hope," says Mallaiah, the rescued man.
Tragically, Mallaiah's wife did not survive.
The rescue effort had continued for days and 20 people were pulled out alive. As the days passed, it was the death toll which mounted with the recovery of 25 bodies. And then, just when the focus was on clearing the debris - this precious life unexpectedly saved.
The state government has announced one lakh rupees to the families of the dead and 25 000 to the injured. The engineers responsible for giving clearance to the building have been suspended. But in the midst of the death and on-going suffering, the story of Mallaiah was an incredible rescue when hope had been given up.
Eight days of an unbelievable nightmare, and then Mallaiah saw the light of day once again. The 35-year old-labourer from Andhra Pradesh was one of several people trapped in the rubble of the building that collapsed on the evening of Republic Day.
"I didn't know how many days I was there - it was totally dark. There was some water in a pot. I prayed to god for rescue. Then suddenly today I saw light and got hope," says Mallaiah, the rescued man.
Tragically, Mallaiah's wife did not survive.
The rescue effort had continued for days and 20 people were pulled out alive. As the days passed, it was the death toll which mounted with the recovery of 25 bodies. And then, just when the focus was on clearing the debris - this precious life unexpectedly saved.
The state government has announced one lakh rupees to the families of the dead and 25 000 to the injured. The engineers responsible for giving clearance to the building have been suspended. But in the midst of the death and on-going suffering, the story of Mallaiah was an incredible rescue when hope had been given up.
