According to the police, when she was leaning on a cement parapet, she felt dizzy and fainted, falling off the terrace
This picture has been used for representational purposes.
Kolkata: In a case of sheer luck, an 18-year-old girl in Kolkata accidentally toppled over the terrace parapet and was hanging for an hour as a left leg was caught between the grills of a balcony below and was dramatically rescued on time by a plumber and his father. The girl, Richa Gupta sustained scratches and cuts on her left leg and was allowed to go home after being administered first aid, The Times of India reported.
The incident happened on Thursday at around 4 pm when Gupta, a first-year student, and an aspiring chartered accountant was taking a stroll on the terrace and speaking on a mobile phone. According to the police, when she was leaning on a cement parapet, she felt dizzy and fainted, falling off the terrace. The fall was blocked when her leg was caught between the grills of a balcony below the terrace and was dangling for an hour.
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A few minutes after Gupta fell, a plumber spotted her while washing his feet at a tap in the compound of the residential complex where she stays. “I was washing my feet at a tap on the complex, when something fell on me. I looked up to find the girl hanging from the balcony, screaming for help. I raised an hour and ran upstairs,” said the plumber, Balaram Karmakar, who is employed at the residential complex. He rushed to the flat from where Gupta was dangling and her family and neighbours were holding to her and had strapped her leg to the grills with whatever they found.
Karmakar then teamed up with his father, Babu to hatch a plan to rescue Gupta in which they directed the resident to call the police station first. “We went to the terrace and dropped a rope. Balaram climbed on to the ledge above the balcony and tied it to the girl. All the while we held tightly till help arrived,” said Babu, who is also a plumber. Residents had taken out mattresses and blankets from their homes and formed a cushioned platform on the ground, as a precaution if the rope snaps and she fell. A team of police officers also reached the residential building with safety harnesses and used it to strap the girl to the grill.
The fire brigade was also alerted. By then Babu cut a small portion of the grill and the neighbours pulled Gupta through the gap to safety. A shaken Gupta was splashed on with some water and given some food before being taken to a local hospital on a special chair. She was checked by a doctor, who administered preliminary treatment and allowed to go home.
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