Gurugram ceiling collapse: Head of central warehousing corporation among saved

With his feet trapped under hundreds of kilograms of debris, Arun Kumar Shrivastava, 60, waited 17 hours in excruciating pain to be rescued as disaster response personnel fed him and provided first aid. On Friday, he was finally brought out, and shifted immediately to a private hospital where doctors said all his vitals were normal.

Shrivastava came under the debris when a portion of his second-floor flat’s ceiling came crashing down, trapping him and his wife, Sunita, and sister-in-law, Sujata. While Sujata was rescued within hours by local residents as she could escape to a balcony and raise an alarm, Sunita died “almost immediately”, rescue workers said. Her body was yet to be removed from the debris.

Shrivastava, managing director of the Central Warehousing Corporation, a public sector unit, had just returned from the airport after receiving Sujata who arrived from the US. on Thursday evening. Soon after, the cave-in trapped the three in different parts of the flat.

Rescuers said they had a tough time since any mistake could have led to the debris crushing his limbs. They said they deployed foxhole digging, in which small portions of the rubble is cleared with light equipment to avoid a sudden crash, and continuously sprayed his legs with coconut oil to minimise damage to his skin.Also Read | Gurugram: Little clarity on what triggered flat collapse, search for victims on

Miraculously, Shrivastava did not suffer any major fractures or major trauma, said Dr Virender Yadav, Gurugram’s chief medical officer. “We decided that all efforts will be made to rescue him as any attempt to amputate could have had serious repercussions. The NDRF team was also encouraged by the repose and exemplary will shown by the victim,” he said.
The NDRF rescue teams installed poles to keep the remaining structure from falling, and used special equipment to dig through the pile of concrete.

PK Tiwari, commandant, NDRF, said,“Our team created a foxhole which enabled the movement of the victim’s feet, and we were able to remove him. He was immediately given treatment and shifted to a hospital,” he said.

Tiwari also said that Shrivastava showed exemplary courage and was composed throughout the operation. “He even boosted our morale,” he said, adding that one quick reaction team of NDRF from Dwarka and two battalions from Ghaziabad were involved in the rescue operation.Also Read | Gurugram ceiling collapse: Societies seek structural audit of buildings

In an official statement, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Gurugram, where Shrivastava was taken for treatment, said, “The 60-year-old male patient was resuscitated and provided first aid at the site. He was then rushed to the Emergency of Max Hospital, Gurugram for further medical management on Friday morning. He was conscious and his vitals were normal. After running essential scans, he has been shifted to the ICU for observation under a multidisciplinary team of specialists.”

Health department officials said that a team of para medicals and surgeons were engaged to help the victim. “The victim was stabilised by administering medicines and fluids. Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav asked us to do an on the spot assessment in the morning and it was decided that rescue will be carried out under sedation,” he said.
Ajay Arora, Shrivastava’s private secretary, said the family had returned home on Thursday evening from the airport after receiving a relative. “I got the information about the accident around 6pm, and reached here around 7.30. I went inside the complex and saw him stuck there. We are relieved that he has been saved after strenuous efforts and without any major injury,” he said.

Arora also said that family members of Shrivastava’s wife had arrived in the morning from Patna.