Trip to hosp spares B’deshi man a cruel end

New Delhi: For several foreign nationals staying at the two properties, survival came down to a matter of minutes. Some stepped out shortly before the blaze erupted, while others were fortuitously away, tending to relatives in hospitals.As they gathered outside the charred structures on Wednesday, relief at having escaped the tragedy was tempered by anxiety over missing friends and fellow guests and the loss of nearly all their belongings.Minhazul Hasan, a Bangladeshi national who was staying at Flourish Stay Bed and Breakfast where the fire is believed to have originated, was among those who had a narrow escape. “My mother was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday for knee surgery, and I stayed there overnight,” he said. “My brother, Meraz, left the B&B barely 10 minutes before the blaze started. He was fortunate”.Minhazul said while he was relieved that his family members were safe, he was unsure whether any of their possessions could be recovered from the fire-ravaged structure.Minhazul had been staying at the property since last Friday and was scheduled to remain there for six days. According to him, most of the occupants were foreign nationals visiting Delhi. “There were no balconies and very limited ventilation. The B&B felt suffocating,” he said, adding that the lack of open spaces might have made it more difficult for guests to escape once smoke began spreading through the building.Bah-Trimdijiou, a Guinean, was staying at the property for the past two months while accompanying his father, Bahousman, who was admitted to hospital on Monday for cancer treatment. “I paid $660 per month for a room on the fourth floor,” he said.Bah-Trimdijiou said the fire left him shaken, with many of his belongings still inside the building. “I used to stay with my father at the hospital during the night and would return to the B&B every morning to take a bath and eat,” he said, adding that he was looking for his friend, Mansadave, who was staying on the ground floor. “I have been calling him up repeatedly, but he is not answering,” he said. “Also, there was a family from Congo. I don’t know where they are or whether they are safe.”A US national, who had been staying at the B&B since Jan 18, was returning from hospital when he learned about the fire. “All my belongings are still inside,” he said, adding by the time he came back, smoke and flames had wrapped the building.