Starkness of their lives came spilling out in the open

Clothes, utensils and non-descript furniture — some of the articles found by rescue workers at the building collapse site in east Delhi said it all about the lives of the residents.

Clothes, utensils and non-descript furniture — some of the articles found by rescue workers at the building collapse site in east Delhi said it all about the lives of the residents.

HT Image

Utensils such as steel tumblers, tin plates and aluminium bowls came in handy for rescue workers to take out the debris.

The seven-storeyed building came crashing down in the Lalita Park area in Laxmi Nagar on Monday, killing several people.

The residents of the ill-fated building were mostly labourers, either working in the factories inside the same building, or as domestic helps, rickshaw pullers and masons.

Some cycles were also recovered from tonnes of concrete debris, which rescue workers found it hard to break and remove.

Earth-movers removed debris after rescue workers broke huge concrete slabs.

Though an announcement was made on a public address system, saying that those involved in rescue work since last night should make way for a fresh batch so that they can take rest, workers continued with their efforts.

"There might be some people still inside. How can I leave the work midway? I can't do that. I can sleep and take rest later," Bhishm Singh, a rescue worker.