I am in shock. How did this happen?

A family almost wiped out and a sole breadwinner lost: Hemani Bhandari and Snehil Sinha count the losses in the Delhi tragedy that scarred many

- Snehil Sinha and Paras Singh

NEW DELHI: When the rescue operations began on Saturday morning, Mohammed Chand was the first to come out of the ill-fated building, unaware of his loss. As operations continued, he found out that only four of his family members were as fortunate as him.

Eight of his family members died in the tragedy.

The deceased included building owner Mohammed Tehsin, 60, who lived with his family of 12 on the first floor of the four-storey building in Gali No. 3 in Shakti Vihar of Mustafabad. A property dealer, Tehsin had four shops on the ground floor, of which he had occupied two to set up his office. He had rented out one of the shops where a tenant ran a meat shop.

On the three-room first floor, Tehsin lived with his wife Zeenat, 58, their son Mohammed Nazeem, 30, his wife Shaina, 28, their three children Afreen, 4, Afhan, 2, and Anas, 6. The couple's younger son Chand, 25, his wife Chandni, 23, their kids, Shaan, 4, and Shanaya, 2, also lived on the same floor. Zeenat's father Mohammed Ishaq, 75, was staying with the family for the last few days.