Shattered families face uncertainty

Lucknow: The fire might have doused, but the smoke of grief hung heavily in the air.
The two victims of the devastating blaze that gutted a confectionery factory in Lucknow's Sarojininagar on Saturday evening, owner Akhilesh Kumar and daily wager Abrar, walked into the factory moments before it erupted in flames, never to return.
Akhilesh's family is shattered. He leaves behind his wife, Pushpa, daughter Priyanshi, and son Ritik, who watched helplessly as the inferno consumed the building.
Priyanshi, who is married, rushed home upon hearing the news, only to find her family shattered.
"He was everything to us… our father, our protector," whispered Ritik, struggling to make sense of the tragedy. The factory reopened only three days ago after remaining shut for months. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he said.
The most haunting voice was that of Bano, the wife of Abrar. "Who will feed my children now?" she cried, clutching her four-year-old son Imran and 13-year-old daughter Zainab.