“Bhaiya, ab saans phool raha. Kuch karo… (Brother, I can't breathe. Do something.)
This was the last message Virendra Vikram received from his younger brother, Kumar Dhirender Pratap, who was stuck in an elevator of Vishal Mega Mart in Delhi as a fire raged through the building.
Two men died in the fire that broke out at the retail store located in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area.
While Kumar Dhirender Pratap, 25, was found dead inside the lift, another charred body of a male was recovered from the building later, according to PTI.
Virendra Vikram said he received a message from his brother at 6.51pm, saying that he was stuck in the lift and could not breathe.
"My brother had gone to Vishal Mega Mart to shop in the evening. At 6:51 PM, I received a WhatsApp message from him saying he had been trapped inside the lift and was struggling to breathe. He called me too and said, ‘Mujhe bacha lo, main lift mein phas gaya hoon, saans phool rahi hai’ (I am stuck in the lift...I can't breathe... please save me," Virendra Vikram told news agency ANI.
Vikram said he called the police right away, but claimed that nothing was done for hours.
{{/usCountry}}Vikram said he called the police right away, but claimed that nothing was done for hours.
{{/usCountry}}"The police responded only around 9 pm. Until then, we had no update and I was completely helpless. I kept hoping someone would get there in time," he said, according to PTI.
He also claimed that the store staff ignored him, turned off the power, and then fled.
"No one tried to rescue him…We kept pleading for help till late at night. It was only at 2:30am that the store acknowledged someone was trapped inside," he said, according to ANI.
'Died with smoke burning his insides'
Dhirender's body was recovered during a joint rescue operation conducted by the police, fire department, and disaster response team.
"Imagine how painful dying due to suffocation must be. My brother, who was my everything, died with smoke burning his insides," Virendra said, according to PTI.
He further mentioned that their mother is still in Banaras and believes that Dhirender is injured. "We have not told her yet, she will not be able to bear it."
"When I saw my brother's body, there was blood coming from his nose. It was clear he had suffered. That moment broke something in me," he added.
According to the family, Kumar Dhirender Pratap recently took the UPSC prelims and returned to the city after a home break. He was living in a rented place in Karol Bagh.