When a five-storey hostel building collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday, Neeraj Bawa was trapped under several tonnes of debris. He struggled to breathe and had suffered serious injuries. From beneath the rubble, he called a friend and could only manage to say, “Brother, I am dying…”
A short distance away, Nitesh was also trapped under the rubble. A small gap between the concrete slab and debris allowed air to reach his face, helping him breathe as he repeatedly called for help.
Neeraj and Nitesh remained trapped between life and death for four hours before rescue teams pulled them out. Seven people died in the collapse, while 12 were injured, including Neeraj and Nitesh, who are being treated at AIIMS.
What happened to them when the building collapsed and what they experienced while trapped under the rubble is based on an account given by their cousin Rohit Chhib. He told Dainik Bhaskar about the incident, which is being reported here based on his account.
This is the same five-storey building in Delhi that collapsed on Sunday. A PG accommodation was operating here under the name Hostel Days.
Nitesh asked Neeraj-Brother, can you hear the sound of water?
A few minutes before the hostel collapsed, Nitesh and Neeraj were in their respective rooms on the second floor. Nitesh returned to his room after having lunch at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Just then, a sound resembling running water began coming from the direction of the walls. After some time, the sound grew louder.
Nitesh asked Neeraj, who lived in the adjacent room, whether he could also hear the sound of water. Neeraj replied in the affirmative. Just two seconds later, the entire building came crashing down.
According to Nitesh, “I was trapped under the rubble. Heavy debris, like a concrete slab, had fallen on top of me. A gap had formed between the rubble and the slab. My face was stuck in it. Because of this, I was able to breathe and even speak. My legs were trapped in the rubble.”
When he called out to Neeraj, he replied, ‘I am in a lot of pain’
After this, Nitesh called out to his friend Neeraj Bawa. Neeraj replied, “I am in pain.” According to Nitesh, there was more rubble where Neeraj was trapped, and it was also filled with dust. He was having difficulty breathing as well.
Nitesh said, “I began continuously calling for help from inside the rubble. After some time, the rescue team reached the top of the debris. I heard the team members talking among themselves. They were saying that the other building was also about to collapse.
Hearing this was even more frightening for me. I was already trapped under the rubble and trying to save my life. I was afraid that if the other building collapsed too, I would not survive a second time.”
The room in Hostel Days. This footage was shared by the students living there.
Neeraj called his friend: “Brother, I am dying”
Meanwhile, Neeraj called his close friend, Veer Chatrath. Veer told Dainik Bhaskar that he received Neeraj’s call at 1:45 p.m. He said, “Brother, I am dying.”
Veer said that they spoke on the phone 5-6 times. I asked Neeraj to send me his live location. We spoke for around 13 seconds on a WhatsApp call.
After this, at 1:55 p.m., Neeraj sent his live location. I called him again at 2:16 p.m., but this time there was no response.
I had sent him one last message: “Brother, you must not lose courage.”
After that, his friends and I formed a team to rescue Neeraj. We reached the site of the incident. The police and NDRF teams were also engaged in the rescue operation. After about 3-4 hours, Neeraj could be pulled out of the debris.
Neeraj was first taken to Primus Hospital. He was treated there for about 50 minutes to an hour. After that, at around 6 p.m., he was sent to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. His surgery at AIIMS began at around 10:30 p.m. and continued until approximately 1 a.m.
Neeraj’s condition is critical; one surgery has been completed
Neeraj’s condition is extremely critical. He has severe injuries to his back. He has also sustained a deep injury to the upper part of his thigh. There is also a serious wound in his abdomen. One surgery has already been performed.
Doctors are continuously monitoring him. An infection has spread throughout his body, and his skin has turned black. Another surgery will be performed.
Before the accident, the walls of the ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel had also started developing cracks; students recorded a video
Two students, Arnika and Mansi, who lived in the neighboring ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel next to Hostel Daze, recorded a video of the cracks that had appeared on the walls and ceiling of their room just minutes before the accident.
The video shows long and deep cracks on the walls of the room. Both are second-year students at Delhi University. In the video, 20-year-old Arnika can be heard saying, ‘It seems like it is about to collapse.’
Before the accident, the walls of the ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel had also started developing cracks; students recorded a video
Students living in the neighboring ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel, next to Hostel Days, had filmed the cracks that appeared in their room.
Just before the Hostel Days incident, two students, Arnika and Mansi, who lived in the adjacent ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel, filmed the cracks that had appeared on the walls and ceiling of their room a few minutes before the accident.
The video shows long, deep cracks on the room’s walls. Both are second-year students at Delhi University. In the video, 20-year-old Arnika can be heard saying, “It looks like it’s about to collapse.”
3 pictures taken after the accident…
This is a drone shot of the accident site. A building once stood where the empty space is now.
A student trapped under the debris was screaming for help, so the police and people present there removed the debris and pulled him out.
NDRF team taking the youth rescued from the debris to the hospital.
