Ghatkopar building collapse: Canine hero Uday saves three lives

NDRF workers brought Uday to find and rescue victims trapped under the rubble

On July 25th a four-storey residential building collapsed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area. Amidst all the chaos that ensued, one dog shone through as the hero. Meet the hero of the day: NDRF's ace canine, Uday, who took just minutes to sniff out and save the victims after rescue workers had spent hours looking for them in vain.

Also read: All the developments around the Mumbai building collapse

The six-year-old Labrador Retriever rescued three victims from the rubble, including a 56-year-old who miraculously survived the collapse with his phone intact, allowing him to call for help.

Canine heroes Uday (right) and Pinky found several victims within minutes

Darshan Doshi, a resident of Siddhi Sai building, was at the temple at the time of the incident. When he returned, he found his home was destroyed and there was no sign of his father. At 5 pm, he was amazed when he got a call from his father's cell phone. "I'm safe. I'm near the bed," said his father, Rajesh Doshi.

A two-minute job for Uday
The family informed the rescue workers, who immediately began digging around the Doshi family's home. Three hours passed, and there was still no sign of Rajesh. That's when the NDRF called Uday, who found the elderly man in just two minutes. By this time, Uday had already saved two others - Nikhun Khan Chandani (22) and Padma Ben (55). "Uday has very good sniffing power, he can sniff out anyone who is alive under debris. He saved three lives today," said Kiran Ganjale, Uday's handler.

Star rescue dog
Uday was inducted into the NDRF when he was just three months old. He is the most sought after rescue dog during disaster relief work. He was also responsible for rescuing five people in the massive landslide at Malin in 2014, and also saved several lives after the Mumbra building collapse in 2013.