Two men, in their mid-30s, tragically lost their lives on Sunday morning when iron grills fell on them from the fifth floor of the Blue Sapphire mall in Greater Noida West.
According to police, the incident occurred around 11 am within the jurisdiction of Bisrakh police station. The deceased were identified as Harendra Bhati (35) and Shakeel Khan (35), both residents of Vijay Nagar area in Ghaziabad.
Harendra ran an interior designing shop within the mall, while Shakeel was employed as a painter at Harendra’s establishment.
“A PCR call was received from Yatharth Hospital in Greno West that two persons were brought dead after they met with a mishap,” said Hridesh Katheria, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Central Noida.
“Police teams rushed to the spot and found that the iron grills from the fifth floor collapsed on them when they were going towards the elevator. They were walking on the ground floor of the mall. The bodies were taken into custody and were sent for post-mortem. Investigations are underway and appropriate actions will be taken after receiving complaint,” added ADCP Katheria.
Following the incident, chaos ensued within the mall. A purported video of the incident was widely circulated on the internet, showing mall visitors rescuing the victims who were lying in a pool of blood. However, both succumbed to critical head injuries.
Some mall shopkeepers alleged that they had previously reported to the mall maintenance staff about a broken grill that was shaking due to the storm on Saturday. However, it collapsed on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the residents of Greno West have raised concern over the poor construction quality and negligence by builders, which endangers the lives of innocent people. “The incident could be more fatal as it was Sunday and several people visit the mall. Similar incidents have happened in the past as well but the authority and police have never taken any actions. Who should be held responsible for such mishaps?” questions members of Noida Extension Flat Owner’s Welfare Association (NEFOWA).