'Saans phool raha, kuchh karo': Last message of man who died in Vishal Mega Mart lift at Delhi's Karol Bagh

A 25-year-old man was found dead inside a lift after a fire broke out at a Vishal Mega Mart showroom in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area, police said on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Kumar Dhirender Pratap. His body was discovered in a lift during a search and rescue operation jointly carried out by police, fire and disaster response teams.

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He likely died of suffocation, they said. At 6.51 pm on Friday, Dhirender began a streak of messages to his elder brother from inside the lift. "Bhaiya (brother)" followed by, "Hum lift mein hoon. Gas (sic) gaye hain. Karol Bagh Mega Mart." His final message, also sent at 6.51 pm, read, "Ab saans phool raha. Kuchh karo (I am short of breath now. Do something)."

There were no further messages from him.

The fire was reported around 6.44 pm from the second floor of the four-storey building located on Padam Singh Road, the Delhi Police said in a statement. "This is a Vishal Mega Mart outlet where grocery and fabric items are sold. The fire was confined mainly to the second floor," the statement added.

A total of 13 fire tenders worked to douse the flames. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but it is believed that it started due to a short circuit, officials said.

Fire officials also said that due to a lack of adequate ventilation in the building, the firefighting operation went on longer, with about 90 firefighters involved in the operation.