Recalls Sheetal Sharma of the tragedy that took her father and sister, while her mother is still missing; many others also face the prospect of rebuilding their lives without loved ones, and their houses destroyed
Janvi Kanojiya and Sanjika Surve
Janvi Kanojiya
A 17-month-old child, Janvi Kanojiya, is the youngest victim of the Malad wall collapse incident. Her father, Anil Kanojiya, was inconsolable at the Bhagwati Hospital, while waiting to collect her body. He said on Monday, unlike other days, she was awake till late and playing with her dolls while he was having his dinner. "Suddenly water gushed into the room and before I could catch her, she was washed away. Later, her lifeless body was recovered. I can't believe they are conducting a post-mortem on my daughter who was alive few hours back," he said. His wife is undergoing treatment at Jogeshwari Trauma Centre while his brother, Sonu Harish Kanojiya, 23, is admitted to Shatabdi Hospital with a leg injury.
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Sanjika Surve
Krishna Surve who works as a guard at Mind Space, Malad, was returning home around 11 pm when he got call from his 15-year-old daughter, Sanjika. That was the last time he spoke to her. Due to the rain, he didn't get a public vehicle so he was walking back home. On his way, a neighbour called him and told him about the incident. When he reached home, he found Sanjika was missing. "She wanted to study further. In the morning, she had gone to fill college forms," he said. Sanjika was the second oldest of his three daughters, including Sayali, 19, and Sakshi, 7, who are undergoing treatment at Shatabdi Hospital with their mother Sanjivani, 41.
Ayush Sharma and Jyoti, Ayush's mother
Ayush Sharma, a 6-month-old child, appears to be the youngest to have survived the incident. He sustained minor injuries and is undergoing treatment at Shatabdi Hospital. His mother Jyoti Uttam Sharma is undergoing treatment at Jogeshwari Trauma Centre. "I am thankful to god that my son is safe. He is our only child and I would have died if anything had happened to him," said Uttam Sharma, his father.
A 14-year-old girl, Sanchita Ganore, who was pulled out alive from the debris, died in hospital a few hours later. Pic/Satej Shinde
Sravan Gaur
A 21-year-old, Sravan Ramakanth Gaur, lost his life while trying to save his niece. Talking to mid-day, his brother RajKumar Gaur said that when the wall broke and water gushed into their house, Sravan shouted at him to pull out their niece first. "It was very dark and as it was raining, we couldn't see anything. He helped catch our niece but when I turned back, I could only see his feet. Before I could catch him, he was swept away in the current," Rajkumar said.
Kalpesh Amberkar
Kalpesh Amberkar was making a small boundary around his hutment to direct the water away from his home when it broke the wall. His hut sustained the worst impact. "I was outside helping father to make the boundary while my mother was inside the house watching TV when suddenly the water hit us. Both of my parents have sustained severe injuries while I sustained minor injuries. It was a nightmare," he said.
Also read: Mumbai Rains: Citizens spend night flushing out floodwater from their houses
Sheetal Sharma shows her sister Jyoti's picture
Jyoti Sharma and Basanti Sharma, Jyoti's mother, who is missing
Sheetal Sharma who works as a nurse at Grace Maternity Nursing Home, received a call from a neighbour about the incident, when she was on night shift on Monday. When she reached home, she couldn't find her family members. Later, Fire Brigade personnel found the body of her father, Kishore Sharma, 40, and sister Jyoti. Her mother Basanti is still missing. Sheetal said, "I have lost everyone. I was working when my colleague told me about the incident but I didn't believe it and kept calling my father who didn't answer." Uttam Sharma is Sheetal's elder brother.
Also read: Mumbai Rains: 18 dead, 69 injured in horrific wall collapse in Malad
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