Family perishes as under construction structure collapses in Pune, dog miraculously saves 8-yr old boy

The tribal Family of the Pawara community had adopted a stray dog, Imani, providing it a home within their modest shelter — a “kutcha” house made of bamboo and mud, Jalgaon ZP officials said.

When the storm hit around 8 pm on the fateful night, the family feared that their house would be blown away and they took shelter in a nearby building that was under construction.

“Tunnelling effect because of the mountains led to a very high velocity of winds. The tin sheets of the roof were blown away becoming sharp missiles and the under construction building collapsed. Tragically, among the family of 5, four died on the spot, crushed by the debris,” said IAS officer Devayani Yadav, Sub Divisional Magistrate of Faizpur.

Nanusingh (aged 28), Sonubai(23), Ratilal (3) and Bali (2) are said to have died instantly.

However, Shantilal (8) was with Imani, the adopted stray dog, who dug a small pit under the debris. “It seemed to have provided a miraculous amount of space by digging a small pit under the debris for Shantilal to breathe and also escape with minor scratches. The dog kept howling, thereby drawing attention of the villagers to the collapsed building and the exact location where Shantilal was buried under the rubble,” said Mohanmala Nazirkar, Tehsildar of Yawal Taluka in Jalgaon District.

“Had the family continued to stay in their mud-bamboo hut, they would have survived as the structure stayed intact due to the winds passing through the gaps in the bamboo sticks. It’s rather unfortunate that they rushed to this under construction structure to protect themselves from the winds,” added Devayani Yadav.

District Collector Ayush Prasad said Shantilal’s grandparents who work as sugarcane cutters in far-off Pune and Solapur have been made his legal guardians by the Child Welfare Committee.

“Shantilal is the sole survivor of his immediate family. We could complete the paperwork within 24 hours without the need for the family to go to any court or even make an application. We have also submitted a proposal for compensation to the Relief and Rehabilitation Department,” Prasad said.

Imani, the hero-dog, also escaped with only minor injuries. “The dog seems to have run into the adjoining forests, probably to find a safe space to heal from any injuries. We had sent a veterinarian to the village to check and treat him. But we couldn’t find him,” said Shamkant Patil, Assistant Commissioner of Animal Husbandry Department.
Sanjay Sawkare, MLA of Bhusawal who visited the spot said, “Such extreme weather events are not known to the Satpuras. Climate change is responsible as the village has never experienced such high-speed winds. We must help build more climate resilient communities.”