Building residents recount their harrowing experience

At 2am on Wednesday, the residents of Sri Sai Ambal apartments, a five-storey building, felt severe tremors rip through the building.
Families mourn for their loved ones who died in the building collapse  | pandarinath b
Families mourn for their loved ones who died in the building collapse | pandarinath b

BENGALURU: At 2am on Wednesday, the residents of Sri Sai Ambal apartments, a five-storey building, felt severe tremors rip through the building. Most of the panicked residents, including women and children, rushed out of the building, when the under-construction building next door collapsed.

Pankajan said that she rushed to the city from Coimbatore upon knowing about the incident from her son, Vinod Kumar, who is a resident in the apartment complex. “When my son called me in the morning he was very scared. He stays on the first floor of the building. He told me that he could feel his house shaking. In no time the cot he was sleeping toppled over. Soon after, he, his wife and child rushed out of the building. Now, they are staying at a relative’s place,” she said. 

Sangeetha, the mother of another resident, Asha Panda, said that the incident left her five-month pregnant daughter shaken. “When she felt the building shaking, she almost fell. The door got jammed and she panicked and called for help. We somehow managed to open the door and we rescued her. She and her husband are in shock,” she said. 

Another resident, Parvez, said that they were on the fourth floor and yet they felt the impact. “We suddenly heard a loud crash and saw the walls crack. We panicked and rushed out of the building. It was difficult as we had to come down from the fourth floor. How can the builders build such houses which collapse so easily,” he questioned. 

The neighbours turned good samaritans during this harrowing time for the residents and gave some of the residents a place to spend the night. 

Mangala N, a resident of another building nearby said that when they heard the crash they all came out of their building. “We saw many families outside, crying and in a panicked state. We got them inside and gave them some refreshments. They charged their cell phones to call their relatives,” he said.

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