DINDIGUL: A pall of gloom descended over Dindigul on Friday, a day after the fire accident at a private hospital that snubbed the lives out of six people.
For many, the lives have reached a point of no-return, leaving behind only the memories of their loved ones.
Bala Pavithra (33), who lost her husband R Rajasekaran (36) and daughter Gopika (6) in the blaze, is staring a bleak future, and is yet to come to terms with the reality. On the fateful day, Rajasekaran, who works as a parotta master and the lone bread winner of the family, and Gopika were attending to Pavithra’s father who was undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Even a firefighter who is trained professionally to handle situations like this was deeply moved by the death of Gopika. “It was when we were rescuing patients from the ICU that we got information regarding the people stuck in the elevator. We rushed back to the first floor and took eight persons, including Gopika, to the hospital. But, six of them died,” he said.
The deceased have been identified as J Manimurugan (30) and his mother J Mariammal (50) of Thadikombu, K Suruli (50) and his wife S Subbulakshmi (45) of Seelayampatti in Theni, R Rajasekar (36) and his daughter R Gopika (6) of Dindigul.
J Vijayakumar (35), whose mother and brother were killed in the accident, said, “Manimurugan was admitted for a second operation in his hand.”
The fire was not all about sorrow. There were a few who were lucky to escape the inferno. M Karthick (35) of Cumbum, undergoing treatment after a leg amputation, who had escaped the fire along with his father Manokaran (65), was one among them.
M Thangavel (75) of Kottaraptti rescued from the third floor said, “My right leg was broken and I was not able to move. I thought I was going to die. Till Friday afternoon, I was under treatment in a hospital after a breathing issue due to inhaling smoke in the hospital.
A doctor from Dindigul government hospital said, “There are 35 persons under treatment in this hospital and in another private hospital. Expect one, who was one among the eight persons in the lift, all others are out of danger. All arrangements have been made for their treatment.”