The Hindu : National : Relatives throng hospitals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2006

National

National

Relatives throng hospitals

Meena Menon

Many with photographs search for missing relatives

— Photo: PTI

ANXIOUS WAIT: A woman awaits word about her relatives outside the KEM Hospital in South Central Mumbai on Tuesday.

MUMBAI: Krishna Lathani was brought to Bhabha Hospital by the fire brigade with an injured foot. He is one of several lucky survivors as he was in the compartment next to the one that blew up at Mahim station. Mr. Lathani, a real estate dealer, says he heard four explosions and then the train stopped.

There was smoke everywhere and he could not see anything. Many people jumped off the train. When he too jumped, he injured his foot.

Waiting outside hospital

Hundreds of people waited outside the Bhabha Hospital in Bandra hoping to get news of their relatives.

Many of them had been going from one hospital to another, carrying photographs of missing relatives, trying to get some information.

Jamila and her mother came all the way from Borivali, north of Bandra to look for her son Sajid Ali. They found out that he was in hospital but they were not allowed to meet him.

They are luckier than Umang Patodia who has been looking in different hospitals for his missing uncle Mohan Sarogi. He said his uncle travelled every day from Bandra to Goregaon around 6 p.m.

Bela Gajani and her husband were also looking for her father Mansukhlal C. Shah, who is missing. They knew he had left Pydhonie in South Mumbai at 5.15 p.m. but had not reached home.

22 bodies in morgue

In Bhabha hospital, 61 people were admitted. Two of them have not been identified.

There were 22 bodies in the morgue but none of them has been identified. Ambulances continued to arrive at the hospital until late at night even as people asked anyone they met about news of missing relatives.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National