In the gloom of the tragedy that levelled a two-storey house, the dramatic rescue of three-year-old Sanjana was a moment of joy, which boosted rescue operations.
H.S. Varadarajan, the senior fire officer, who carried Sanjana from the rubble of her house — which claimed the lives of her parents — and took her to the ambulance, said the news was ‘distressing’. “From the control room to fire officers, we were keeping a tab on Sanjana in the hospital and were in touch with the doctors. On Wednesday, the information we had was that she was recovering, and we knew that if she got through Thursday, an auspicious day, she will survive. But the news of her death has come as a shock, and has distressed the whole force,” he said.
In the minutes before Sanjana was found in the rubble at Ejipura, emergency personnel using heavy machines to clear broken walls and concrete beams, had lost hope of finding anyone alive. However, the rescue of Sanjana, nearly three hours after the collapse was reported, brought smiles and some relief to the tiring fire officers. “She was so scared and was clutching me. It was amazing how she managed to survive the fall of the house. She was in shock, but clutched me so tightly that the buttons of my shirt were torn off,” said Mr. Varadarajan.
Post-mortem
Sanjana had captured the imagination of the city. City Development Minister K.J. George, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy and Mayor Sampath Raj were among the politicians who visited the hospital where she was undergoing treatment.
Denying that the girl had developed infections following the swarm of visitors, Victoria Hospital Medical Superintendent H.S. Satish said, “She had over 60% burns and usually in such cases, especially in children, the chances of survival are low. Moreover, we have taken adequate precautions to prevent infection. It is unfortunate that she succumbed to the burn injuries despite the precautions.”
As it was a medico-legal case, the body would be subjected to post-mortem. “As of the now, the cause of her death is multi-organ failure secondary to the burns sustained,” he said.
Meanwhile, the fire department has told the police that a gas leak was responsible for the building collapse. Gas had leaked and accumulated in one of the houses. When ignited — perhaps on switching on a light switch — a shock wave, a momentary flame, destroyed the walls and burnt the residents inside.
Unlike a cylinder explosion, a gas leak does not leave behind traces of an explosion, fire officials told the police, who are investigating negligence on the part of the building owner for the tragedy.