Trapped in lift for 42 hours, Kerala man pens farewell letter to wife, sons
Thiruvananthapuram: Ravindran Nair, a 59-year-old Communist Party of India (CPI) leader from Thirumala, endured a harrowing 42-hour ordeal after getting trapped in a malfunctioning lift at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, which has drawn attention to the vulnerabilities and failures within the hospital's infrastructure.
The incident occurred from noon on Saturday, July 13, to the early hours of Monday, July 15, when Ravindran had visited the Medical College for a consultation regarding his back pain. He was accompanied by his wife, Sreelekha, who works as a cashier at the hospital, however, when the doctor asked for the blood test reports, Ravindran decided to fetch them from home himself. Upon returning to the hospital, he entered the defunct lift, which jammed mid-air.
Ravindran's repeated cries for help got no response and his attempts to contact emergency numbers also failed as his phone was out of coverage inside the lift. The senior leader managed to survive by finding a steady air supply and a cool corner within the lift, enduring the physical discomforts and emotional distress of his entrapment.
In a poignant moment, believing he might not survive, Ravindran wrote a farewell note to his wife and sons, urging his sons to strive for greater heights and reminding Sreelekha to publish her poems.
His ordeal ended on Monday morning, when a hospital staff member, Jayanandan, heard his cries and helped him out of the lift. Ravindran, physically exhausted and mentally strained, immediately sought water and tea, after his rescue.
Ravindran's story took on a deeper resonance as he learned about Joy, a sanitation worker, who was drowned in a canal in Thiruvananthapuram, and Arjun, a truck driver trapped under a mudslide in Karnataka. Reflecting on these parallel tragedies, Ravindran expressed his gratitude for his survival while mourning those who were not as fortunate.
Following his rescue, Ravindran received visits from several dignitaries, including the state secretary of the CPI and Health Minister Veena George, to whom he suggested the establishment of a control room for handling such emergencies.
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Double-decker electric bus gutted in fire at Kurla BEST depot
Mumbai (PTI): An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.
The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building at 4.14 pm, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, they said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, officials added.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.
