Thane building collapse: Tea vendor saves lives, loses daughter

At least 11 people have been killed in the building collapse in Thane

Thane, Thane building collapse, Amrut Lal, Thane rescue, Thane building death toll, Thane building rescue, Thane death toll

Amrut Lal, admitted at the Civil Hospital in Thane with head injuries (Photo: Santoshee Mishra)

A tea vendor who stayed in Krishna Niwas building that collapsed in Thane on Tuesday rescued several people but could not save his own daughter. Amrutlal Patel (37) lost his 12-year-old daughter Priya.
His tea stall was on the ground floor and his employees who used to stay with him woke him up when the building started collapsing.

“My employees Shankar Meena, Mohan Meena and Ramesh Meena who stay with me started screaming and woke me up. I helped them to safety and saw someone under the debris. I pulled him out. I ran to help my wife and daughter. My wife Asha was safe. I saw Asha’s hand and was about to pull her out, but a portion of the building came crashing down on me. I was lifted from the debris by rescue workers and was told that Priya is no more,” he said.

Patel and Asha are admitted to the Thane Civil Hospital. Patel is being treated for head injuries and Asha for shock. Asha has not spoken since learning about Priya’s death. Their younger daughter, seven years old, was rescued. The family hails from Rajasthan. Priya was a student of Gautam English School in Thane.

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Five members of the Bhatt family died in the collapse. Friends said eldest daughter Rashmi who had married two months ago was among the dead. She had come to visit her family. The other daughter of the family, Rachita, was a mass media graduate. “She was not working or studying for now. She had decided to spend some time at home,” said her friend Nupura Deshpande.

An injured boy being rescued. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

Rachita’s father Ramchandra Bhatt (65) ran a catering business in Thane. Her mother Mira Bhatt (58) and Ramchandra’s brother Subhrav Bhatt (54) also passed away in the mishap. Subhrav’s wife was not present in the flat when the building collapsed.

Rachita’s friends reached out to the family’s relatives on Tuesday. Rachita’s maternal aunt was reached in Panvel while some other relatives from outside Mumbai were contacted.

Five of the six members of the Sawant family also died in the collapse.

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“There were six people in the house when the building collapsed, and only one survived,” said Santosh Kadam, Regional Head, Thane Disaster Management Cell.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

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