NEW DELHI: “Had she not thought about others, she could have survived,” said family members of Hazra Bibi (56), one of the victims who lost her life in the building collapse on Wednesday in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri. According to the family, Hazra had rushed to her relative Anwar’s house after hearing that his daughter, Nusrat, had come to visit.
Instead of running to safety, Hazra reportedly ran towards those who were present there. In the attempt to save them, she herself got trapped under the heavy debris. Her body was recovered during the rescue operation on Thursday.
The building was around 30 year old and its owner, Anwar is currently missing. Anwar’s father-in-law, Salim Ahmed, said Hazra, who lived nearby, had come to Anwar’s house on Wednesday afternoon after learning that his daughter, Nusrat, was visiting her parental home. At that time, some people were present near the house.
“As the building suddenly collapsed, Hazra, instead of trying to save herself, rushed forward to save people present there. While attempting to save them, she accidently ran in different directions and got trapped under the debris. Her body was later recovered on Thursday,” he said.
Amid these painful accounts, the story of three-year-old Ayaan is equally heartbreaking. He survived the collapse with minor injuries, but since being discharged from hospital, he has been desperately looking for his mother, Nusrat, who was killed in the tragedy.
According to Wasim Ahmed, a local resident, there was a chaos when the incident took place. “I, along with my friends, immediately rushed to the spot. After reaching there and seeing the screaming, we immediately got into the debris and started rescue,” he said. They managed to rescue four people—Afdan, Razzak, Salma and Abdul Rahman—who were trapped under the debris, even before the police and NDRF teams reached the spot. All of them were rushed to hospital as soon as the ambulance arrived after the collapse.
Meanwhile, Shakina stood near the debris, waiting to retrieve her household belongings. She said the house had some jewellery, cooking utensils, gas cylinders and stoves inside, and she was hoping to recover them once the rubble is cleared. She added that at the time of the collapse, her husband was out for work and her daughter was at her maternal uncle’s house nearby.
Ayaan desperately looking for his mother
Amid these painful accounts, the story of three-year-old Ayaan is equally heartbreaking. He survived the collapse with minor injuries, but since being discharged from hospital, he has been desperately looking for his mother, Nusrat, who was killed in the tragedy. The four-storey building building was around 30 year old and its owner, Anwar is currently missing.
