‘I told him to escape, but it was too late by then’: Malwani bldg crash survivors struggle with regret, grief

Still unable to come to terms with their loss, five survivors at Shatabdi hospital recount the moments before the crash

Recuperating from injuries on her left eye and right knee at the civic-run Shatabdi hospital on Thursday, Rizwana Sarfaraz kept saying she regretted not being able to save her nine-year-old son, Sahil. The mother-son duo was inside their third-floor house when people started shouting at them to get out as a part of their building crumbled. 

I had finished preparing dinner when I heard people shouting and felt the building tremble. I called out to Sahil to quickly run out of the house when suddenly, the building collapsed,” said Rizwana, 33.

The building fell on Surya Yadav’s dairy shop, also injuring him

Rizwana is one of the five injured admitted to the hospital. Two more injured people were discharged after a preliminary check-up.

Rizwana was taken to the hospital by her husband, Sarfaraz. While Sarfaraz was out for work, their elder son was at a friend’s place and escaped the mishap.

‘It was heartbreaking’

Rizwana was the second person to be rescued from the collapse and brought to the hospital. A doctor on duty at Shatabdi hospital said that within an hour of the couple arriving at the hospital, their son was brought dead. “Initially they tried to hide it from Rizwana but then she overheard and it was heartbreaking to see them. She kept pleading to see her son. Since she had injuries and was admitted, she couldn’t attend the last rites,” said the doctor.

Dhanalaxmi Devi got seven to eight stitches on her head

In the bed beside hers, was Dhanalaxmi Devi, 56, who is admitted with head injuries and got seven to eight stitches. Her daughter, Mary Iranna, 30, is admitted to the ICU at the same hospital. “She stays nearby and came to see me. She was about to go home when the incident happened. We couldn’t even step out,” said Dhanalaxmi. While Dhanalaxmi is stable and will be discharged, Mary has been kept on observation as she is suffering from temporary amnesia. “She had a head injury and convulsions. We decided to keep her under observation. She seems to be having temporary amnesia and doesn’t remember anything about last night,” said the doctor treating her at the hospital.

Salim Shaikh survived with minor injuries

Surya Yadav, 40, and Salim Shaikh, 49, are the two other injured people. Both of them live in the house opposite the collapsed building. They got injured when the building fell on their house. “I have a dairy shop and live in the shop. I was standing outside my shop and saw the building collapsing. I didn’t expect it to fall on my shop,” said Surya, who got sutures on his right palm. Salim, who lives with his son, also survived with minor injuries. “My son was not home. I was looking at the building collapse when suddenly it fell on me,” said Salim. Except Mary, all patients are expected to be discharged on Friday.

Five
No. of people recuperating at Shatabdi hospital

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!