‘Kept hearing mom’s cries’: Survivors recount building collapse near Mumbai

Before she could get out, the building began to shake. “Sab kuch thartharane lage. (Everything started shaking) We had found out that the building had started shaking because of repair works underway. As I was running out, suddenly there was darkness, and I fainted.” Prajapati told The Indian Express.

When Prajapati regained consciousness, she realised her husband and neighbours had rescued her and taken her to Bhiwandi’s Indira Gandhi Hospital. While her husband and four children escaped safely, she suffered minor injuries to her hand.

A survivor from the Bhiwandi building collapse (Express photo by Nayonika Bose)

Prajapati was among the three residents injured in the collapse. The other two injured were identified as Deepak Yadav (25) and Abhay Yadav (26).

Deepak and his maternal uncle Abhay said they were injured after jumping from the first floor to escape.

The six-member Yadav family had already decided to vacate the building that night.

“I returned home and finished my dinner. We had decided to vacate the building the same night as portions of the neighbouring wing had started to move. As we were packing our bags, there was a loud crashing sound,” Deepak Yadav said. “When we saw out, the building’s other wing had completely collapsed.”

Deepak and Abhay tried to flee through the staircase but found it buried under debris.

The ‘B’ wing of the four-storey ‘Kohinoor’ building collapsed on Thursday night. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)

“We then decided to jump from the window on the first floor and escape to find some help,” Deepak said. Both have sustained injuries to their legs.

Abhay Yadav, a labourer in Bhiwandi’s textile mills, said the family had no other option.

“The staircase was blocked, and we were left with no choice. We could either stay in and wait for the building to collapse on our family or escape from the window and try to find some help. We chose the latter.”

While three people were injured, residents said many others from the adjoining wing escaped moments before the collapse, preventing an even bigger tragedy.

‘Heard my mom’s cries’

Piyush Jaiswal, who lives in the chawl beneath the collapsed building, recalled hearing a deafening crash around 11.20 pm.

“The sound sent ripples across the area. I ran away, but kept hearing my mom’s cries. There was smoke and dust all around so it was impossible to see anything. Luckily, my mom managed to see me, and we escaped.”

Residents of the building say some from the adjoining wing escaped moments before the collapse (Express Photo by Nayonika Bose)

Like Jaiswal, many residents of the chawl were left homeless overnight after fire brigade and NDRF vehicles passed through their homes to access the collapse site.

Krishna Nisaad, a labourer who lives on the fourth floor of the building’s other wing, said residents had already planned to leave after noticing the structure sinking.

“Since the building had already started sinking, there was repair work underway…Our plan was to escape the building soon after dinner. But before we could move out, the building collapsed. We managed to escape by the grace of god.”

Although the remaining wing of the building is still standing, its residents have been displaced.

“All our life belongings, including gas, electrical appliances, clothes and furniture are inside the building. We escaped as soon as we heard the crash without any care for anything. We have been living in this school in heavy rainfall with no answers,” said Sujan Devi, who lives in the building with her family of five.