Cries of girl faded away

It was heart-rending as the cries of a teenage girl faded away.

Ten-year-old Sanchita Nalawade was one of those trapped in the debris of the wall that collapsed in the Pimpripada area of Kurar in Goregaon-Malad western suburb of Mumbai.

It was a ray of hope for rescue workers when they heard cries of - "mujhe bahar nikalo" (pull me out) - but unfortunately, the massive efforts failed.

The trapped girl was also asking for water.

"We tried our level best... no stone was left unturned," a local resident said, adding that Mumbai Fire Brigade and NDRF made every effort.

Around 60 to 70 hutments were impacted by the collapse of a retaining wall - triggered by heavy rainfall - in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Rescue workers and eye-witnesses said that she Nalawade stuck in debris for close to 12 hours. "She was trapped as her legs were stuck... she was crying for help... her voice slowly faded away," local resident Suresh Jha said.

Several other people who were trapped were rescued. Nearly 70 persons were injured in the accident.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the Shatabdi Hospital and spoke to those who were injured in the incident. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to those who died in the wall crash.

"I lost my friend in the crash," said Hari, whose friend Sarvan Gaud died.

The residents were caught unawares by the incident. "In the dead of the night, there were heavy rains when we heard a loud rattling noise... we thought it might be something big," said Ashok Munde, a resident of Kurar.