Six days after the fire tragedy in Ludhiana, there was still no clue of the three missing firemen — Manohar Lal, Manpreet Singh and Sukhdev Singh - who were trapped inside as the factory building collapsed on November 20. However, families of the three firemen haven’t lost all hope. They have been present at the disaster site all six days, hoping for a last minute miracle. According to sources, nearly 80 per cent of the debris has been cleared and the remaining 20 per cent of the rescue operation is likely to be over by Sunday evening. Sub-divisional magistrate of Ludhiana (East), Amarjeet Bains, said, ”We are hopeful that the missing bodies will be located from the rest of the debris soon. As there are huge pillars in between, it is taking time for the rescue team to operate." According to a Bains, the rescue operation team is yet to clear only the part of the building where intensity of the fire was maximum. There were chemical cans lying in the last room of the building where the blast took place. “Family members of the missing firemen are staying at the rescue operation site. They are like our family members and we have full sympathy for them. It was an unfortunate incident, but our teams are trying their level best to locate the bodies. The debris cleared from the site has been piled up on an open plot of the municipal corporation. The remaining area will also be cleared by tomorrow. We are counselling the families on daily basis. I know it is hard to wait for so many days,” said Bains. Meanwhile, the forensic department has also taken samples of the debris to find out the nature of explosive stocked inside the factory.
