Two Sisters Succumbed To Mumbai Fire As They Didn't Know The Restaurant Had Opened Rear Exit

Fourteen people lost their lives in a blaze just days before New Year. That's fourteen futures snuffed out, fourteen hopes and dreams extinguished forever.?

After the Mumbai fire, that started in Kamala Mills compound on Thursday night, several stories emerged - stories of how people lost their lives.

reuters

One of those stories narrates the sad series of events where two sisters, who could have been saved, never made it out alive. Kavita Dharani (36) and Tejal Gandhi (37) died in the fire that broke out at 1Above after they took shelter in the men's toilet as the blaze spread across the floor.?

Also read:?As Mumbai Wakes Up To Kamala Mills Fire Tragedy, People Once Again Call For Accountability

Kavita was a fashion designer and is survived by her husband Piyush and five-year-old daughter Ziana. Tejal Gandhi was a homemaker who had just celebrated her wedding anniversary a day before. She is survived by her husband Bhavin and daughter Khushi.

TOI

The third sister, Shefali Dharani, who was there at the restaurant, told TOI, "We were allotted a corner table. We noticed that the terrace was covered with a black sheet and a temporary structure propped up by bamboos. We also noticed that the entire terrace was covered and there was some celebration going on there."

"People were heading towards the exit. But the passage was so narrow and there were so many people trying to escape. We did not see any fire extinguishers either," she added.

She recounted seeing frightened people stranded in the corridor. "That's when my two sisters - Tejal and Kavita - who were ahead of us headed to the men's toilet. Both of them had earlier visited the restaurant and they knew where the washroom was located," said Shefali.

ap

It was then when the restaurant staffers opened the rear exit route which went through the kitchen. People in the vicinity rushed towards that exit. "We too turned around and started running towards the back-door exit. It was only when we got out that we realised that two of our sisters were missing," said Shefali.

Also read:?FIR Against Pub Owner For Negligence After Fire In Mumbai's Kamala Mills Compound Kills 14

Kavita called her husband, saying that she and Tejal were stuck in the bathroom with several others. That was their last communication.?

So many lives were lost for no fault of theirs. So many people who went out to celebrate one occasion or the other, would now never see the light of the day.

Lives could have been saved if only proper procedures were followed and safety had not been compromised for the easy way out, as far as the various pubs, clubs and cafes in the area are concerned. Was the easy way out really worth the lives of 14 people?