Jalandhar: In an irony of fate, the migrant labourers who died in a blanket factory collapse here got at least one quilt after their death, a luxury which they could not afford in their lifetime.
The three-storey factory building had collapsed at around midnight on April 15 in Focal Point area. At least 23 bodies have been pulled out from the debris, while 62 people have been rescued so far.
An official engaged in the rescue operation said with blankets falling all over from the concrete, which is being pulled down for the past few days for digging out survivors and the dead ones, they are being used to wrap their bodies.
The labourers who make the expensive mink blankets which cost between Rs 1,000-Rs 7,000, sleep on the floor without mattresses, let alone relish the warmth of a cosy blanket, he said.
Ramdev, whose son Pankaj Kumar got crushed under the debris, said, "My son spent his entire life making blankets but we could never afford one...At least, he got one after his death."
Some of the injured extracted from the rubble also managed to get the blankets while being taken to hospitals.
"Most of the bodies are mutilated as they were crushed under tonnes of concrete. The bodies are being wrapped in blankets to prevent mental trauma to the deceased's relatives. There is every possibility that after seeing the mutilated bodies, the relatives may turn aggressive," the official said.
The three-storey factory building had collapsed at around midnight on April 15 in Focal Point area. At least 23 bodies have been pulled out from the debris, while 62 people have been rescued so far.
An official engaged in the rescue operation said with blankets falling all over from the concrete, which is being pulled down for the past few days for digging out survivors and the dead ones, they are being used to wrap their bodies.
The labourers who make the expensive mink blankets which cost between Rs 1,000-Rs 7,000, sleep on the floor without mattresses, let alone relish the warmth of a cosy blanket, he said.
Ramdev, whose son Pankaj Kumar got crushed under the debris, said, "My son spent his entire life making blankets but we could never afford one...At least, he got one after his death."
Some of the injured extracted from the rubble also managed to get the blankets while being taken to hospitals.
"Most of the bodies are mutilated as they were crushed under tonnes of concrete. The bodies are being wrapped in blankets to prevent mental trauma to the deceased's relatives. There is every possibility that after seeing the mutilated bodies, the relatives may turn aggressive," the official said.
