Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill collapse: Survivors recall 6 minutes of horror

Recalling his six minutes of horror, Deepak Kumar, 18, one of the survivors of the Friday’s collapse at Ghazipur landfill, says that there was a loud blast and he felt the earth shaking. Before he could react, he and his friends who were riding on two bikes had been thrown into the canal. None of them could swim.

“It felt like an earthquake. There was a loud explosion and then we felt the land shaking. Next second, we were thrown into the canal by an overwhelming force. I thought I was going to die,” Deepak told Hindustan Times, while waiting outside a mortuary at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in Mayur Vihar Phase-2.

Deepak, and his friend, Amit, were rescued by locals. But their third friend, Abhishek Gautam, 20, couldn’t be saved. He drowned as the bike had landed on him, said eyewitnesses.

“I was desperately moving my arms and legs, to keep afloat. I could also see Amit nearby, choking on water but trying to keep afloat. Abhishek was nowhere around, and nor was his bike,” said Deepak.

Abhishek was taken out around 4.30pm. He had died already, said his friends.

“It was very scary. There was a car, a scooty, our two bikes and people screaming everywhere. I am thankful to god that I am alive,” said Amit.

Amit and Deepak received injuries in their hands, legs and ears.

Deceased man had gone to buy chicken

Abhishek had gone there to buy chicken. The three friends lived in Rajbir Colony, Kondli. Abhishek was a second-year DU correspondence student of BA. He was also doing a part-time job with a satellite TV company, said his family.

Abhishek’s father recalls that he met his son for the last time in the morning that day. Abhishek had dropped him till his workplace in Noida around 9am.

“He sounded cheerful. We barely spoke much. He dropped me to work and returned home. I could never have imagined that I was seeing him for the last time. He was a good son and a humble person,” said Mahipal Singh (50), Abhishek’s father.

Deceased woman was going to get married in December

The second victim, Rajkumari, 28, was going to get married in December. Her wedding preparations were in full swing. She was an accountant at a medical storeroom. However, she left the job after getting engaged few months ago, said her family.

Rajkumari lived in Khoda Colony, Uttar Pradesh. At the time of the incident, she was returning with a 15-year-old cousin, Surender, and a tenant from a bank to her home on her scooty.

“The tenant and the 15-year-old boy were rescued and are safe. They are at home now. But my cousin sister couldn’t survive,” said Surender.

A senior police officer said a case under 304-A was being registered. “The people responsible for this will be probed,” said the officer.