Family members of people who worked at the building that went up in flames in West Delhi’s Mundka began gathering at three hospitals where the bodies and those injured were being taken to, with many saying they were unable to trace their kin.
The blaze claimed the lives of at least 27 people and officials feared many more may have died since the topmost floor was yet to be fully searched for bodies or survivors, and many of the people who were pulled out alive were in a critical condition.
Vishal, a 21-year-old resident of Mundka who was working at the building for the last 18 months recalled the sequence of events and said an event was underway at second floor of the building when the fire broke out. “All the workers were on second floor and they were giving a speech on how to take the company forward when the fire broke out,” he said.
Vishal said he fainted and couldn’t remember anything after that. “I don’t remember who saved me. But when I opened my eyes, I was near the building’s gate,” he said.
At the hospital, relatives came looking for a motivational speaker identified as Kailash Jani and his son Amit, who arrived from Australia to visit the company and were now untraceable. “They had come here today. We suspect Kailash uncle were to attend an event here. We can’t reach them so we came here to look for them,” said a family friend.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that there was only one staircase, which was the sole entry and exit point in the building. Officers at the site said because of the smoke, many working in the building jumped from the windows to survive the fire.
A man who identified himself only as Sukhbir was at the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital looking for his 19-year-old son. “I have been to Ambedkar Hospital, Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital and have now come here. But policemen here have told us to come in the morning when all bodies come. I hope my son is not one of them,” he said.
Delhi Police officers who were rushing the bodies of the injured to the hospitals and mortuary said the bodies were so badly charred that it was difficult for them to identify the gender of the victims. “The bodies are completely charred. Even the condition of the injured persons are critical. The death count will increase,” said a police officer at the Sanjay Gandhi hospital
Locals said that around 150-200 people worked at the first-floor office of a company that made CCTV cameras and wireless routers.
“More bodies coming in. People are coming with severe burn injuries. The death count is likely to increase. They have been admitted to critical care unit. All hospital officials pressed into service. We are working full strength,” said a doctor at Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital.
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