Mustafabad building collapse: ‘I’m in shock. How did this happen?’
The removal of a load-bearing wall during recent renovation work likely caused the fatal collapse of a four-storey building, MCD officials said on Saturday.
A family almost wiped out, a sole breadwinner lost and three children left without a mother: HTreport the tragedy that scarred many
1st floor: Owner, 7 of his family dead
When the rescue operations began on Saturday morning, Mohammed Chand was the first to come out of the ill-fated building, unaware of his loss. As operations continued, he found out that only four of his family members were as fortunate as him.
Eight of his family members died in the tragedy.
The deceased included building owner Mohammed Tehsin, 60, who lived with his family of 12 on the first floor of the four-storey building in Gali No. 3 in Shakti Vihar of Mustafabad. A property dealer, Tehsin had four shops on the ground floor, of which he had occupied two to set up his office. He had rented out one of the shops where a tenant ran a meat shop.
On the three-room first floor, Tehsin lived with his wife Zeenat, 58 and nine other family members. These included their son Mohammed Nazeem, 30, his wife Shaina, 28, their three children Afreen, 4, Afhan, 2, and Anas, 6. The old couple’s younger son Chand, 25, his wife Chandni, 23, their kids, Shaan, 4, and Shanaya, 2, also lived on the same floor. Zeenat’s father Mohammed Ishaq, 75, was staying with the family for the last few days.
The only surviving members on Saturday morning were Zeenat, Chand and his two children. Tehsin’s eldest daughter-in-law and her kids escaped the mishap as they had gone to attend a wedding for few days.
Chand is now the only surviving son of Zeenat — Her eldest son Aas Mohammed was allegedly murdered during the February 2020 riots and his body was found in a drain a week later. “I lost my brother in riots and now I have lost my whole family... my wife too,” Chand said, still unable to grasp reality.
Chand, an e-rickshaw driver, said his father was a property dealer and the family has lived at the house for decades. He said all of his siblings were born and raised in this house, last reconstructed about 15 years ago, with the second and third floors added three-four years ago. “I don’t know what happened. My father was getting repair and construction work done on the ground floor. We had never expected that the building could fall,” he said.
“I am in shock. How did this happen?” Chand continued to mumble, while waiting at GTB Hospital for ambulances carrying the bodies of his deceased family members.
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