4-year-old rescued after 19 hours; mother and two sisters killed

Mohammed, 4, after he was pulled out of the debris

"Maine mummy, mummy pukara, koi awaz nahi aa rahi thi. Rukiya ko bhi bulaya, woh bhi awaz nahi de rahi thi. Mummy diwar ke andar hi hai!" were the heart-rending words of four-year-old Mohammed Nadim Bangi, who was rescued from the debris of the fallen Tariq Garden at Raigad, to doctors and staff at the Government Hospital, Mahad.

The NDRF team locates a little boy alive in the debris

The four-year-old was calling his mother and sister, amid the darkness and debris. His mother and two sisters died in the incident, while his father survived because he works outside Mahad.

The team pulls him out

When brought to the hospital, he was in a state of shock, and his sugar level had drastically come down. "He was examined for a fracture or serious injuries, but despite being trapped for over 19 hours in the debris, he survived with just bruises on his head and some on his body," explained Dr Suhas Mane, Civil Surgeon, Raigad. The child's CT scan is normal.

He was later identified as Mohammed Nadim Bangi

Mohammed told his uncle, who had got a soft drink for him at the hospital, "Andhere mein, main Allah tala se paani maang raha tha (Amidst the darkness, I was asking Allah for water)." Around 5.40 pm on Monday, the rescue team pulled out the bodies of a woman and two minor girls. They were identified as Nausheen Bangi, 35, Rukaiya, 7, and Ayesha, 2, mother and sisters of Mohammed, who is unaware of this.

He was taken to the Government Hospital, Mahad

Dr Bhaskar Jaqtap, medical superintendent, at the Government hospital, said, "The relatives are in a state of shock, they were happy to see Mohammed alive, and had hoped for the same miracle with the rest of the family. The Bangi family stayed on the second floor of the ill-fated building. His father works outside Mahad, and returned on Tuesday afternoon on learning about the incident."

Doctors said Mohammed escaped with a few bruises

What is a pancake collapse?

Anupam Srivastava, Commandant (Western Region) Maharashtra and Goa, explained, "The team, (85 men and 3 dogs), started the search and rescue operation a little after 1 am and we realised it was a pancake collapse, wherein the fifth, fourth, third and second floor collapsed like a sandwich, one above the other. Such a collapse is usually seen when the load bearing pillars fall due to substandard material used." On learning about his team pulling out four-year-old Mohammed Nadim Bangi alive, he said, "Every life, we are able to save from a crash site, makes our belief stronger in the presence of a divine being and miracles."

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