Birthday celebration, get-together turns into tragedy

Birthday celebrations and a get-together went haywire and turned into a tragedy as  a fire broke out an in a fine-dining restaurant and pub in the upmarket Kamala Mills compound at Lower Parel in Mumbai on Friday.  

The fire at the 1Above restaurant, Mojo's Bistro lounge and London Taxi Gastropub claimed 14 lives.  

Khusbhu Jayesh Bhansali's (29) birthday party turned into a tragedy as she lost her life in the accident.

Her friends Kinjal Jayesh Mehta died in the  incident and Neha is admitted to a  hospital.

"It is a big tragedy for the family," said Jethamalji Bhotra, Khusbhu's uncle.

"She left home around 11 pm and the incident happened just after midnight," he said, claiming that the fire bridge teams and police reached around 30 minutes after the incident.

"She was rushed to the hospital, she was senseless, we tried to wave at her, there were no burns, but we feel that there was a lack of oxygen cylinders," he said.

"The place was such that even a matchstick would have caused a major fire," he added.  

For siblings Vishwa Jayant Lalani (22), who had come here from the US for holidays, and Dhariya Jayant Lalani (26), the visit turned out to be their last one.

Their aunty, Pramila Laxmichand Kenia (70), too, died in the incident.

"It is sad...the boy has grown up before us," said a family member, adding that the get-together was to be a treasured one but it turned into a tragedy.