Mumbai: Tisha Chaugule, a 17-year-old girl, lost her life in the Goregaon building fire on Friday while trying to rescue her grandmother. She was choking on black smoke and frothing, said resident Machhindra More who along with others salvaged her body. “We managed to bring out three bodies from the building. I tried to aid Chaugule's breathing, but unfortunately she didn't make it,” bemoaned More.
Goregaon Fire: Survivors Battling Injuries, Loss Of Near And Dear Ones | Vijay Gohil
Survivors recall horror, miss their loved ones who could not make it
While her family has been hospitalised, her relatives remembered the deceased as an intelligent student, who was in the first year of a science course. Recalling the moments of horror, the kin said that Chaugule's father asked her to hurry, but she went looking for her grandmother and rescued her. Then she started looking for her footwear and locks, and got stuck in smoke.
Seven-year-old Rinkal Tansania, Vishnumaya Aale, 44 and Nanda Bhojeya, 50 also met a similar fatal fate. While Tansania lost her life, her two-and-a-half-year-old brother is in critical condition while her elder sister and parents have been also admitted at the Prarthna Hospital. Her uncle mentioned that they initially had to pay Rs10,000, but didn't need to shell out more after the intervention of the police and BMC.
Aale, who lived on the first floor, succumbed to smoke inhalation. Her husband, who is an electrician, and her two children, aged 21 and 16, are undergoing treatment. Similarly, Bhojeya's husband, two sons and daughters-in-laws, and four grandchildren are undergoing treatment. Another survivor, Ashok Rathod, said his entire family has been hospitalised. “There was smoke everywhere, making it very difficult to escape the building,” he recounted.