The deceased have been identified as Ausa bai (40), Naseem Khwaja Moinuddin (18) and Rathu Bai (35). All the three hailed from Bhalki taluk.
The building was more than 30 years old. A new bus station is under construction at the same place. Residents said the North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) had begun construction work without demolishing the old structure, forcing passengers to take shelter in the old building.
This, according to them, caused the deaths.
His dying words on cellphone
“Maa, mere upar bus stand gir gaya. Main mar raha hoon...” (Ma, the bus stand has crashed down, I am dying...)
These were the last words of 18-year-old Naseem Khwaja Moinuddin of Enakoor in Bhalki Taluk. Thereafter, there was no answer on his mobile, said the victim’s mother, who was inconsolable. Recalling the incident, Moinuddin’s mother said: “I thought how can a dying person call on his mobile? Even before I could say nothing would happen to him, my son’s voice fell silent.”
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