LUCKNOW (UTTAR PRADESH): "Mujhe jaane do apne bete ke paas (Let me go to my son)," screamed a grief-stricken mother, struggling to break free as relatives of those trapped rushed to the three-storey commercial complex in Lucknow's Aliganj after receiving frantic phone calls from inside the building engulfed in flames.
Outside, anguished families watched helplessly as thick black smoke and flames swallowed the animation centre on Usha Mehta Marg, where 15 people, most of them students, lost their lives on Monday afternoon.
Even before fire tenders reached the spot, local residents became the first responders. Risking their own lives, they smashed the building's glass panes with whatever they could find, hoping to let the choking smoke escape and save those stuck inside.
Many of those trapped were students who had come to learn animation during their summer vacation. Eyewitnesses said several people tried to help after seeing students stranded inside the building.
One of the most harrowing moments was captured in visuals showing a student jumping from an upper floor to escape the flames. People below quickly spread a mattress-like object to cushion the fall, following which locals immediately rushed him for medical assistance.
Scenes of anguish and helplessness unfolded outside the building as parents and relatives rushed to the spot after receiving distress calls from their loved ones trapped inside. Some women were seen pleading with police personnel to let them enter the building.
"Mujhe jaane do apne bete ke paas" (Let me go to my son), one distraught woman cried repeatedly, pleading with officials as rescue operations continued.
Dhiraj Mehra reached the site after receiving a frantic call from his colleague, Aditya Srivastava, a 3D artist working at the gaming zone on the third floor.
"He called me saying 'bacha lo' (save me), and I rushed to the site," Mehra recalled.
Among those who joined the rescue was Lance Naik Chhabi Ram, posted in Agra and currently attached with the Lucknow headquarters, who happened to be passing by when he noticed the blaze.
Speaking to PTI, Ram said his professional experience led officials to involve him in the rescue work. He said he helped in the relief operation and saw more than a dozen bodies being brought out from the building, while several people were also rescued alive.
As firefighters battled the inferno, residents of neighbouring buildings also stepped forward to help. People living behind the affected structure supplied water bottles to firefighters engaged in the rescue operation.
Visuals from the scene showed firefighting teams wearing safety gear climbing the building using ladders from outside. Another team was seen attempting to enter from the adjoining building of similar height by creating an access point from the upper side, while other teams continued efforts to douse the flames.
At the adjoining building, firefighters created two openings to enter the affected structure from the upper floors, continuing an intensive search-and-rescue operation from inside.
The devastation extended beyond the students trapped upstairs. On the ground floor, the building housed Drool, a pet shop and clinic that was completely gutted in the blaze, raising fears that several animals inside were unable to escape.
Rescue personnel were seen carrying out soot-covered cats and other animals from the charred premises. While some animals were injured, others were covered in ashes, a sight that left many present at the spot visibly shaken.
Animal rights activist Kiran Shukla voiced concern that several animals housed at the clinic may have perished in the fire. She feared that around half a dozen animals could have died, although there was no official confirmation till late Monday evening.
Eyewitness Anurag Pandit, a civil services aspirant, said he could only pray for the safety of those trapped inside. "I am praying they are alive."
A total of 19 fire tenders, multiple firefighting teams, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police started the rescue operation around 3 pm.
Santosh Kumar Tripathi the fire department told PTI that the rescue and firefighting operation ended around 6 pm.
As the rescue operation ended, the tragedy moved from the fire site to the hospitals and mortuary, where families faced the grim reality of the incident.
The bodies of the victims were shifted from the trauma centre at King George's Medical University (KGMU) to the post-mortem house for identification and autopsy procedures. Most of those who lost their lives were young adults, KGMU PRO K K Singh said.
Additional police personnel were deployed at KGMU and the post-mortem house to manage the situation and assist grieving families.
At the mortuary, scenes of heartbreak unfolded as relatives of people associated with the centre arrived in search of their loved ones. Many had first rushed to KGMU hoping to find them among the injured, only to be directed to the post-mortem facility.
With tearful faces and photographs of their loved ones on mobile phones, family members moved from one official to another, desperately seeking confirmation about the fate of those who had entered the building but never returned.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who reached the incident site and supervised relief and rescue operations, was visibly shaken by the tragedy.
A teary-eyed Pathak told reporters that he had seen 14 bodies being brought out from the building.
"These were young boys and girls, our children," he said.
Later around 6.15 pm, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who cut short his visit to Aligarh and returned to the state capital, visited the site of the incident in Aliganj and inspected the gutted building. He later went to KGMU and enquired about the health of the injured.
He assured the families of the victims that no official found responsible for the tragedy would be spared.