Hunt for loved ones in hospitals: We used hands to pull out victims

“Initially,there were no machines or officials to help us. We were trying to pull out the victims with our bare hands,” he says,holding his bleeding hand.

A policeman and a 12-year-old girl are among those critically injured. The girl is the youngest child of Jatin Haldar,who has already lost his sons aged 16 and 14 in the collapse. Jatin was away in Noida when the incident occurred.

Riju from Malda said he is relieved that his sister and brother-in-law have survived with minor injuries. “I had been telling them to move out of the building since it was old,was often flooded and had a weak foundation. However,they stayed on as the rent was lower compared to other places,” he says.

Till 11 pm,LN Hospital alone had reported 13 deaths.

The scene at other hospitals was similar,as dazed family members walked around looking for their loved ones. Eighteen-year-old Namita Sarkar had gone to buy grocery when she got a call saying her building had collapsed. She rushed back within minutes,but by then there was no sign of the building or of her family.

“My parents,two brothers and a sister were inside the house when the incident happened. I have just been told that my mother is undergoing treatment,but I still do not have a clue about the others,” says Sarkar,whose father Mehtosh is a vegetable vendor.

Vinod Haldar’s brother,two sisters and parents were living in the building. “I live in a different building and came as soon I heard about the crash. But I haven’t been able to trace my family,” he says.