‘I jumped off the building after its walls started tilting’

BHIWANDI: Recollecting the horror he witnessed on Sunday 38-year-old Ramjan Ansari said the death toll would have been higher had the mishap occurred around 8am.

BHIWANDI: Recollecting the horror he witnessed on Sunday 38-year-old Ramjan Ansari said the death toll would have been higher had the mishap occurred around 8am. Ansari, who owns and operates a lunch home on the ground floor, said his eatery is buzzing with people for breakfast and tea, most of whom are regulars, at that time.

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Ansari, a chef, said, “It all happened while I was preparing for the day. Had the mishap occurred a couple of hours later, around 8am, the number of fatalities would have risen drastically. Around 40-50 people eat breakfast or have tea around that time. I noticed big cracks on the walls and ran out to alert our landlord Sajanlal and others to vacate the building immediately.”

Ansari added that he rushed to the first floor and personally assisted a few labourers to vacate their room. “I had no choice but to push the last one down the stairs and jump off after the walls slanted and the collapse began. While doing so, my legs got stuck in the iron rods jutting out and I sustained injuries,” Ramjan said.

He added that landlord Sajanlal, who was out on a morning walk with pet dog Rocky, died in the mishap while trying to alert other occupants after entering the building. Unfortunately, his wife and dog also perished in the mishap.