Hospital will offer therapy to help survivors manage trauma after fire

2019-12-10 - Anonna Dutt

NEW DELHI: Mohammed Mubarakuddin (22) was one of the survivors of the fire in Anaj Mandi on Sunday. He hung on to the grilled window in his room for his dear life, he said.

“We were all sleeping in the room and the smoke came in suddenly. Three or four of us rushed to the window immediately; we could breathe only when we were hanging on to the grill,” he said.

There were around 15 people in his room. The people who could not reach the window tried to wrap their head in the blankets to keep the smoke out, he said.

“There were others who just could not react; they just inhaled all the smoke. Even I was breathing the gases and I could feel it in my throat. It was as if something was stuck there. I could not breathe and all I could think was I am dying. Most people in my room did,” he said.

He was rescued by the firemen. “They asked us to follow them outside, they told us it was better to go through the fire even if we got burnt a little because in the room we would surely die. And, now I am alive,” said Mubarakuddin.

But, the trauma will remain, said one of his treating doctors.

“Most survivors are in shock. They keep talking about how they went to the window to breathe and how scary the smoke was. They have faced immense trauma and would surely have a panic attack if they see smoke later in their lives. So, we have decided to provide trauma counselling to all the patients admitted here,” said a doctor from Lok Nayak hospital on condition of anonymity.

The hospital is in talks with counsellors from the nearby Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

The families of those who had died on Monday demanded that the government make arrangements for ambulances to take the dead to their homes.

“A train will take two days. The bodies have already been here for two days! Also, once the bodies reach the station, how will we take it home? We do not have the means to transport the body. I had asked the officers yesterday too,” said Mohd. Parvez, the relative of one of the deceased.

The ambulance from the hospital took the dead bodies till Kapashera from where arrangement for transportation was done by state governments.

Hello Monnu, bhaiya everything is about to get over. There is a fire in our building. Come quickly (man coughs in the background) to Karol Bagh.

I am in my room. There is no way to escape. There is a fire raging outside.

There is no way to escape. There is nowhere to go.

Listen to me, don’t panic.

I can’t even breathe now. It is difficult to breathe.

No. I don’t know.

Has someone informed the fire brigade?

Call them up. Ask them to come and spray water quickly.

Can you please come? However? Come and take me from here. Please take care of everyone... I can’t breathe. Please take care of my kids (gasps for breath).

Don’t inform everyone at home immediately. Please come and take me [my body] from here tomorrow.

No (gasps). There is no way left. I am on my last few breaths. (mumbles)

There is no way. No way at all. We are trapped. We are dead.

Third…fourth. I will die in the next couple of minutes. 5000. Please pay Imamji ~5,000 okay?

(struggles to breathe)

Will you have enough money left after that?

Yes, yes (laboured breathing begins to slow) (His voice panicking) Where?

Delhi? Can’t you escape?

Is everyone trapped inside?

Can’t you jump and escape?

Try. Try to escape, stay alive.

What floor are you on?