Mumbai Building Collapse: 9-year-old's trip to school saves her life

Nine-year-old Zenna Chashmawala has been left orphaned after losing her mother, father, grandfather and a three-year-old sister in the building collapse on Thursday morning.

A family of six, they were living on the fifth floor of the building, which was owned by the family. At the time of the building collapse, Zenna had left for school. After the collapse, Zenna's grandmother Tasnim and mother Shafeena, who was six months pregnant, were rescued and shifted to JJ Hospital.

Shafeena was declared dead and Tasnim is being treated at the Intensive Care Unit. Zenna's father Abbas, younger sister Amatulla and grandfather were trapped till late noon and were rescued in the evening but succumbed to their injuries.

According to Abbass' relatives, Zenna was saved as she had left the house for school an hour before the building collapsed. Abbas was getting ready to go to his shop when the incident occurred. Usually he would drop Zenna off to school and leave for work directly, but on Thursday he came back home when the incident took place.

"I received a call from neighbours that the building has collapsed. I immediately came here. Abbas bhai had two daughters Zenna and Amatulla . At the time of the incident, Abbas' mother, father, wife and Amatulla were at home. This is really shocking, Amatulla was only three years old. We have not told Zenna yet; she has been taken to another relatives' home," said Mustafa Gangeridiwala, Abbass' cousin.

Her parents were supposed to leave for Dubai on Friday.