Mumbai Dongri building collapse: Visit to family proves fatal for two siblings; relative escapes with minor injuries

Mumbai: A visit by two relatives of a woman staying in the ill-fated building in Mumbai’s Dongri area ended on a tragic note as they got trapped under the debris after it collapsed and died, officials said Wednesday.

When Zubair (25) and his brother Muzammil (13) headed to meet Zeenat Salmani (23), a resident of the building, they would have never thought that it would be their last trip. They were inside Salmani’s home when the building came crashing down on Tuesday. The two were among the 14 people killed in the mishap, while Salmani miraculously survived.

Apart from the two brothers, Salmani’s sister-in-law Sana (25) and the latter’s son Ibrahim (2), who were staying with her in the building, also got trapped under the debris and could not be saved, Mumbai fire brigade chief Prashant Rahangdale said on Wednesday.

As Salmani lay buried under the rubble for over three hours, a fire brigade personnel, while removing some wooden planks, saw her hand moving and pulled her out after hectic efforts.

Describing it as the “golden shake hand with life”, Rahangdale said she was trapped “very critically” under the debris, comprising heavy iron beams and wooden doors. After using hydraulic cutters and power tools, Salmani was pulled out alive from the rubble, “in one of the very difficult rescue operations”, he said, while appreciating her courage during that critical time. She was later admitted to the JJ Hospital, he said.

Salmani, who luckily escaped with minor injuries, while describing those difficult moments, told reporters, “It was completely dark under the debris, but I could hear some human voice. My legs were stuck in the rubble and I was not able to move.”