Smartly dressed in black, smiling from ear to ear, Khushboo Bhansali was beaming in the afterglow of candles on her birthday cake. Surrounded by loved ones, the 28-year-old was celebrating her birthday at '1 Above' pub in Mumbai's Kamala Mills compound when the tragedy struck.
Smartly dressed in black, smiling from ear to ear, Khushboo Bhansali was beaming in the afterglow of candles on her birthday cake. Surrounded by loved ones, the 28-year-old was celebrating her birthday at '1 Above' pub in Mumbai's Kamala Mills compound when the tragedy struck. (SEE PICS)
Minutes after midnight, Bhansali spoke to her mother, who blessed her on her birthday. Little did both know that this would be the last time they would be talking to each other.
Soon, the fire broke out at the pub that claimed 14 people including Bhansali. “Khushboo along with her friend took shelter in ladies washroom where they choked to death. Others took shelter either in gents washroom or other places and were saved,” Bhansali's uncle Jethmal Bothra told DNA.
He also said that Khushboo's sister Kinjal and her husband were also there and they were saved. The sister is in shock and is not in condition to speak at the moment.
Bothra added that, “Khushboo was alive when taken to hospital but was breathless. If she had got oxygen on time she would have survived.”
The blaze that started at 1 Above, the rooftop pub, spread rapidly through the building, killing 14 people, most of them women, who were attending Bhansali's birthday party.
The fire, which also injured 21 people, started after 12.30 am in the "1 Above" pub on the terrace, and spread to Mojo pub on the third floor one level below, said an official of the Mumbai civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
The two gutted pubs are located in the Trade House Building in Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel area, a popular night spot as well as commercial hub housing several offices including national television channels.
"I was in the night shift. We heard people screaming at the pub. Initially, we thought it is due to the party which was underway there," said Sanjay Jadhav, a programme producer of a news channel.
"When I came out of my office, I saw that a fire has broken out at the roof top pub. The main entrance of our office was blocked due to the flames," he said.
The massive blaze engulfed the entire building in about 30 minutes and took several hours to be put out. The cause of the fire is not known.
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