Fourth-floor flat falls intact, 3 of family unhurt

Three members of the Mithaiwala family and their neighbour’s daughter had a miraculous escape when their fourth-floor flat fell intact atop the debris after one side of the five-storey building in Mahim collapsed day before yesterday. Priyanka Vohra reports...

Three members of the Mithaiwala family and their neighbour’s daughter had a miraculous escape when their fourth-floor flat fell intact atop the debris after one side of the five-storey building in Mahim collapsed on Monday evening.
Naaz Mithaiwala, 50, and her daughter-in-law, Sana, were sitting in their own bedrooms after offering Namaz while her grandson Qaanit, 4, was playing with his friend Ayesha, 10.

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“Within seconds after Namaz, the building collapsed. The two bedrooms slid down and landed on the debris. Some locals rescued my son Qaanit and his friend Ayesha,” said Sana’s husband, Suleman Mithaiwala, who runs a sweet shop.

“It seems that God found a way to rescue them. In fact, when they landed on the debris, they were still sitting on the bed and none of them was injured,” said Suleman’s sister, Sabira Adil Sheikh, who saw the building collapse from her house situated next to Altaf building.

“When we reached the spot, Qannit was already out. He was covered with mud and was crying incessantly. He has not smiled since that day. They are all still shocked and scared,” said Sheikh.

However, the Mithaiwala family lost cash and valuables worth lakhs of rupees in the crash.