NDRF personnel carry out the rescue operation at the site of the building collapse in Mumbai's Dongri
A visit by two relatives of a woman staying in the decades-old building which collapsed in Mumbai's Dongri area ended on a tragic note as they got trapped under the debris and died, officials said today.
When 25-year-old Zubair and his brother Muzammil, 13, went to meet their sister - 23-year-old Zeenat Salmani - a resident of the building, they would have never thought that it would be their last trip.
Zubair and Muzammil were at home spending time with their sister Zeenat when the building collapsed on Tuesday morning. They were among the 14 people who died in the mishap. Zeenat had a miraculous escape and survived the crash.
"Apart from the two brothers, Zeenat's sister-in-law Sana and her son Ibrahim, who were staying with her in the building, also got trapped under the debris and could not be saved," Mumbai fire brigade chief Prashant Rahangdale said today.
As Zeenat lay buried under the rubble for over three hours, a fire brigade personnel, while removing some wooden planks, saw her hand moving and pulled her out after a lot of effort.
Describing it as the "golden shake hand with life", Mr Rahangdale said Zeenat was trapped "very critically" under the debris, comprising heavy iron beams and wooden doors.
After using hydraulic cutters and power tools, Zeenat was pulled out alive from the debris, "in one of the very difficult rescue operations", he said, while appreciating her courage during that critical time.
She was later admitted to Mumbai's JJ Hospital, he said.
Zeenat Salmani, who escaped only with minor injuries, described those difficult moments by saying, "It was completely dark under the debris, but I could hear some human voices. My legs were stuck in the rubble and I was not able to move."