JOIN US"I was scheduled to fly out, but have lost everything", he says, "I don't know how I will go back. I have no passport and no money", he said, while recounting how his personal belongings went missing in the ensuing melee after the blaze.
Standing outside the locked gates a day after the tragic incident, he urged security men gate to give him a chance to search for his belongings.
Another colleague narrates that her mobile, laptop and purse-- all left at the office table on hearing the chaos outside, had disappeared in barely 20 minutes when they returned to pick their belongings and escape.
"Our money, pan card, debit card, we suspect have been stolen," she said, lamenting that even a fire had not deterred some from taking advantage of the situation.
Carlton Towers which is usually abuzz with activity, with clicking of computers and people zooming in and out of lifts, wore an empty look today as all commercial activity came to a standstill, even as forensic experts, police and fire brigade personnel took charge.
A board that announces 'To Let' has its shutter downed, with its owner sceptical whether he would get anyone to rent out the room. "I came here all the way from Cochin when I heard about the blaze. I have a small office here which I had planned to let out," he says with a shrug.
A high-end restaurant, usually teeming with customers, today had a different story to tell -- wooden chairs piled one over the other on a table, narrating how some do-gooders below had created a safety ladder using the chairs to help those on the first floor climb down.
At one end the purple hued shade of the restaurant, which often dimmed the harsh sunlight, lay broken, letting in the hot afternoon sun. The shade, says the lone security man deployed to guard the restaurant, was broken when those on the upper floors tried to climb down.
Crowds gathered outside the locked gate today to have a glimpse of the building, included a good samaritan from a nearby construction firm who had lent a 30 feet ladder to help inmates escape.
"As soon as I saw the blaze, I rushed here with my ladder. It reached the second floor and helped many escape. I am happy I could save people," he says.
However, the downside was that today when he turned to get his ladder back, he was prevented by police from touching any objects on the spot. "My business has been interrupted because I need the ladder to continue work," he says.
A board announcing 'Royal Indian Holidays' and 'My Moon Travels' had its iron bars shut down, suggesting it's going to be a long holiday for the travel service providers as well.
The only picture of serenity are two pairs of white sculpted seagulls standing beside an artificial pool, which appear untouched by the events that have unfolded