Tied by fate: HP woman dies, cousin survives

The decision to stay back at her PG accommodation proved fatal for Drishti, a 20-year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh, while her cousin Sakshi, who chose to leave for her hometown earlier in the day, had a narrow escape. The two were putting up in the building which collapsed at Sohana last evening. For Abhishek Dhanwal, 30, the second victim, the decision to rush inside the building at the last moment to grab his phone cost him his life.

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Two cousins, Sakshi and Drishti of Theog, used to stay in the building which housed a gym and a PG accommodation. Sakshi left for home for the weekend around 11am on Saturday while Drishti stayed back for her night shift, and perished in the collapse that took place around 4.30 pm. Her body was extricated by the NDRF around 8.30 pm.

“Area residents feared that Sakshi too was inside the gym as the cousins stayed here together. We contacted her to confirm her well-being,” the police said.

Drishti was employed in a private firm in Mohali and used to work in night shift. “She was engaged and was to get married soon,” said one of her colleagues. Her fiance, who fainted earlier on seeing the building collapse, helped the NDRF team at the site locate Drishti’s body as he saw her hand hanging in the rubble.

The other victim, Ambala native Abhishek Dhanwal, was well out of the harm’s way until he decided to get his phone back from the building. The 30-year-old had nearly come out of the building when locals alerted all as the building started tilting towards the dug-up side. “Despite being warned of by one Salman, he rushed back to get his phone from the first floor of the gym. He never returned,” said Rinku, a resident of the area.

Abhishek’s body was retrieved this morning. His wife and family members spent the last night in tears near the rubble, hoping against hope. They had rushed from Ambala to Sohana at night after it was confirmed that Abhishek had gone inside the building.

The police said the mishap took place around 4.30 pm, which averted many possible deaths as gymgoers usually arrived around 5.30 pm. Many people had come out after an alert was sounded. Those left behind were the unlucky ones, said police officials.

“The district administration will ensure justice to Drishti and Abhishek, who lost their lives due to gross human negligence. Stringent steps shall be taken to ensure no excavation is conducted in the district without appropriate precautions,” said Aashika Jain, Deputy Commissioner, Mohali.