Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Recovered bodies are those of former ATC boss and his wife

Ezaz Ansari, who works for Porter Courier Services, at Bhiwandi. Pic/Atul Kamble (right) Manoj and Anita Chansoria

The bodies of Manoj Chansoria, a former general manager of Mumbai's Air Traffic Control, and his wife Anita were found in their car, a red Tata Harrier, at the site of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse early on Thursday morning.

The couple had stopped to refuel while driving to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, at the time of the incident. With more than 70 survivors rescued from the site of the tragedy, which claimed 16 lives, an almost-three-day rescue operation involving the fire brigade, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the police ended on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of the deadly hoarding was arrested by the Mumbai police in Udaipur.

Officials suggest that a weak foundation caused the hoarding to fall, but the police are still awaiting the final report. Authorities are removing the iron components and breaking them into pieces at the site. On Thursday, the fire brigade and NDRF team recovered the bodies of the Chansorias from the debris. According to the police, the couple were heading to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on May 13. They had left from a guesthouse in Marol before deciding to refuel the vehicle at the ill-fated petrol pump.

(From left) Manoj Chansoria was en route to Jabalpur with his wife Anita when tragedy struck. Pic/Rajesh Gupta; Engineer and Kanjurmarg resident Himanshoo Vishwakarma, whose leg was injured in the collapse; cabbie Sanjay Yadav who is yet to find his phone, wallet and documents

A police officer said, "On the evening of May 13, when their son in the US couldn't reach them, he grew concerned. On May 14, Tuesday, he informed the Mumbai police, and the MIDC conducted an investigation. The MIDC police tracked the couple's location to the petrol pump in Ghatkopar. The cops rushed to the spot, suspecting the couple was trapped under the debris. They found their exact location and, after cutting through the iron hoarding, reached the car and recovered their bodies." The couple's son arrived in Mumbai from the United States on Thursday morning, and the cops handed over the bodies to him.

Survivors' tales

On Thursday, survivors who had been rescued earlier rushed to the police station to claim their valuables and damaged vehicles. Many demanded full insurance coverage for the damage. Sanjay Yadav, a cab driver, was at the Bharat Petroleum petrol pump with two passengers on Monday evening. He told mid-day, "I was refilling my car when the hoarding suddenly fell. Petrol spilled on me, and I was terrified. I immediately climbed out of the car window and helped both passengers, including a woman, to escape. We crawled towards the direction of sunlight and eventually reached the exit." "I visited the police station to get back my mobile phone, wallet and car documents, but I haven't received them yet," Yadav added.

Himanshoo Vishwakarma, 33, a junior engineer in the Indian Navy and Kanjurmarg resident, was also trapped but saved. He said, "I had completed training and was heading home. I stopped to inflate my tyre at the pump. While standing at the air station, the hoarding suddenly fell, and I was trapped. An iron part fell on my leg, causing a serious injury. I was immediately rushed to the hospital." "Fortunately, I was saved, but my leg was seriously injured, and doctors plan to perform surgery after three weeks. My bike is completely damaged, and I only have third-party insurance, which won't cover the damages," Vishwakarma added.

Ezaz Ansari, who works for Porter Courier Services and resides in Bhiwandi, was also trapped under the hoarding. He said, "I was heading towards Mulund for a delivery and decided to refuel my bike. I was standing in the queue when the storm hit. I parked my bike and took shelter under a tanker at the petrol pump when the hoarding collapsed. I was saved because of the tanker." "It was dark everywhere, and I couldn't find the exit. I saw a man stuck inside his car and tried to break the door to help him, but I couldn't. He repeatedly asked for help, but was caged in by iron rods. I decided to move towards the sunlight and managed to crawl outside. I still feel bad for the driver who was stuck," Ansari added.