'Someone said bhaago...bhaago...and I ran out'

For Zaffer Rizvi, a resident of the ill-fated Husaini Building in Bhendi Bazaar, his cell phone came handy to tell his relatives that he was safe. “I am alive…come and save me" - he sent out in a message to his relatives.

Both Zaffer and his wife Reshma are trapped in the debris. Their children, aged 14 and 13,  were admitted to the Sir JJ Hospital.

As rescuers put up their might to remove debris and rescue people -  heart-rending scenes were witnessed and people ran helter-skelter to know about the well-being of their relatives or friends.

"My brother-in-law and sister are inside...he spoke on mobile saying that they are trapped....we are worried....we don't know what would happen..they (rescue teams) are trying to save people," said a youth even as he broke down completely and could not speak. He was helped by his relatives.

Mohammed Shamsher Shaikh, who lives in the locality, rescued four persons. "We first pulled out a lady, who was dead by then. Thereafter we pulled out two persons, who are around 60, followed by an infant," said Shaikh.

"We were the first to respond. Then we saw ambulances coming in and then the fire brigade teams," he said.

A youth from Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Rafique, who had come to meet his cousin, was lucky. "Some one said....bhaago...bhaago...and I just came out and saw the building coming down in a flash of a second," said a visibly-shaken Rafique. "I was to return today (to UP)...aaj ka ticket hai," he said.

Imran Bidkar, who works in a nearby building, said that a lot of people work on the ground floor with the catering company. "Some of them came out, some of them are still inside," he said.

DH News Service