JOIN USRescue team's presence of mind helps save 3 kids
The well co-ordinated operation by the fire force and the disaster management team helped rescue three children trapped in the basement of the building that collapsed in Mahadevapura.
Most of the labourers were working at the concrete mixer outside the building. Four labourers were busy with the centring work atop the building. They escaped by jumping on to the neighbouring building.
But the group panicked as they found three children who were playing in the basement and two others were trapped. The fire brigade rushed to the spot in 15 minutes. The fire personnel, along with the police and disaster management team, took charge of the building.
The firemen identified the spot where the children were trapped and found that the space below was hollow. They risked their lives and tunneled their way to the basement through the roof that was now at the ground level.
Within an hour, they found the three children, including an eight-month baby, safe in the basement. They were immediately rescued. They were crying when they were brought out. The children were immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital. Medical reports suggest no major injuries to them.
As the four-storey building came crashing down, the top three floors stood precariously on the support of just one column and on a row of cement bags placed on one side of the basement. The three children were safe in the hollow space between the crashing building on one side and the cement bags on the other.
The children are eight-month-old Kanakashree - daughter of Beerappa and Malamma - both construction workers; Malashree, daughter of Beerappa’s brother - who was brought by the family to look after the baby when they were at work; Bhagamma, 13, also brought by her family from the village to look after her cousin Bheem, 1, whose parents Basappa and Yellamma are also construction workers.
The rescue operations continued late into the night as the firemen found it difficult to identify the exact spot where two persons were trapped. The building gradually tilted to the right and caved in further. Rescue operations were abandoned as it was feared that the building may collapse any moment.
However, the firemen resorted to Temporary Retro Fitting technique giving temporary support to the building with bamboos and iron pillars to prevent its collapse. The rescue operations resumed late into the night.
B G Changappa, director of fire services, who was at the spot congratulated his men for the commendable operation. It was led by K U Ramesh, fire chief, East Division, Bangalore and assisted by Pradeep K K, emergency co-ordinator, Bangalore District of the disaster management team.