CHENNAI: Sampath Kumar would be thanking his stars that he didn’t quit smoking earlier. For, it was his addiction that saved him from death on Saturday. “Had I not gone out for a smoke, I too would have been stuck under the rubble,” said Sampath, wearing a torn shirt.
The ordeal for him isn’t over yet as his sister Sujata was in the building when it crashed. “During the hour-long break in the evening the evening, I went out for a smoke. The weather was good. My sister Sujata (38) went to the kitchen saying she would make some pakodas. Around 5 pm, I heard a a deafening noise. When I ran in to see what it was, I was dumbstruck,” said an agonised Sampath.
Besides his sister, seven of his friends too were stuck inside. Braving the rain and hail, Sampath tried to find them in the ruins on Sunday but was turned away by the police. “Some lives have no value. It is a sad fact but its true,” said Sampath.