Family and friends of the 30-year-old guard of a Mumbai high-rise who was plunged to death on Friday afternoon following a fire breakout, recall their last conversation with the victim and the horror of watching him hang for those dreadful 13 seconds before he breathed his last.
Recalling the events of Friday that led to the fire, the victim, Arun’s colleagues say they were sitting at the security office in the building complex when the fire alarm started ringing around noon. The fire was on the 19th floor of the building and they rushed up to rescue the residents.
‘We Could Not Reach Out to Him’ Recalls Arun’s Colleague
Talking to Indian Express, a colleague of Arun said that three of the residents of the flat where the fire broke out were rescued. It is then that Arun Tiwari who had also rushed to the 19th floor in response to the fire alarm went to the balcony to check but got stuck as the flames spread.
Arun who had been working in the building for the last 5 years then tried to escape through the balcony but finally fell to his death. A video of the incident which was widely circulated on social media grabbed eyeballs as it showed Arun scrambling for his life.
In videos of the incident, Arun can be seen hanging from the balcony and trying to reach a window ledge on the floor below but loses his grip and falls to the ground, his body hitting a terrace extension on one of the floors during the fall. He was rushed to King Edward Memorial Hospital, Parel, where he was declared brought dead.
Also Read: Mumbai Fire: Blaze in Avighna Park Tower Kills 1; Mayor Says Man Could Have Survived Fall
30 year old, Arun Tiwari belonged to a small village of Hathigani in the Prayagraj district and was unmarried. As per reports, Arun had spoken to his surviving brother Vinay only a few moments before the tragedy that took his life struck.
Recalling his last conversation with his younger sibling, Vinay told the Indian Express that in his last call Arun had informed them of 2,000 rupees which he had sent for the family and also instructed that half of it should be set aside for their mother’s medicines.
“And then, sometime later, I got this video… I couldn’t bear to watch him fall off… it was frightening.” Vinay was quoted as saying.
Arun is survived by his brother Vinay, his three children and an ailing mother. As per reports, the family had been heavily dependent on Arun’s earning after Vinay, a daily wager injured his hand in a cracker burst and was put out of work since last Diwali. Arun’s father Lalita Prasad died around 10 years ago.
Vinay says Arun, who for Mumbai in search of a job around 18 months ago and only came home around a year ago for their sister Shilpa’s wedding.
The tragic death of Arun has left his family in shock. Arun’s uncle Mukesh Pandey, who lives in Mumbai and who rushed to KEM Hospital on hearing of the incident demanded that the security company should compensate the family for the death. “They should have provided the boys with some safety equipment before sending them into the fire. Firefighters go in with equipment,” he was quoted saying.
Arun Could Have Been Saved, Says Mumbai Mayor
Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar said Tiwari could have been saved had the private security guards appointed at the building been well-trained. “They (Tiwari’s colleagues) had 15 minutes to take necessary steps. Had they caught him in a bedsheet below or put mattresses on the floor, he might have survived,” Pednekar said. He lost grip on the railing before the fire brigade could put up the ladder, she added.
According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), the incident was reported from Avighna Park Tower, Currey Road, around 11:51 am. The fire brigade said the incident has been declared a Level-4 fire. A level 4 fire is categorised in the “very high” danger category. The residential building has 61 floors and the cause of the fire was not yet known, said an MFB official.
After five hours, around 5 pm, the fire brigade declared that the fire was completely doused. As many as 16 persons who were stuck on the upper floors were safely rescued through the staircase while two people, earlier said to be missing, were safe in their flat, officials said.
BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal ordered a probe into the incident. He said, “First priority is to save the lives and fire has been contained by brigade staff. Cooling work is on as smoke is thick and strict action will be taken against those responsible.”
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