Akshat Yadav (18)
His body was identified at 6 pm.
“Everything was fine,” Deepankar said. Not only did they lose him, but his father, Kanhaiya, had to be hospitalised after being told that his son was critical. The family has not yet told Kanhiaya, who runs a medical store in Chhattisgarh, that Yuvraj is no more, fearing that the news is likely to worsen his condition. The second-year BCom student, who aspired to become a chartered accountant, returned to his PG at 8am Sunday after celebrating Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami with his family in MP’s Dewas, his friend Mayank said. For several hours, they held onto the hope that he had survived as people at the site told them that some trapped residents had been rescued. “Many people said Pawan had been rescued and he was alive,” Dhiraj said.
Akshat’s family rushed to the spot after learning about the collapse. Hours later, the family was desperately searching for him in the rubble. Akshat’s wallet was found at the spot, helping the family establish that he was among those trapped in the debris. His body was later identified at AIIMS mortuary. At AIIMS, Akshat’s younger sister wept inconsolably as the family struggled to come to terms with the loss of a young man whose ambitions and dreams were cut short. For Yuvraj’s relatives, the tragedy came as a double blow. Arpit’s family has decided to donate his corneas, hoping that even in death, he could help someone else regain their sight. Just a few hours later, the building turned into a death trap. Initially, Arpit’s family believed he was asleep when his mother’s calls went unanswered. Later, the family was informed about the incident and rushed to the spot, but it was all over by then. As soon as Pawan’s relatives heard about the collapse, they rushed to the spot and waited anxiously as rescue teams searched through the rubble.
Just hours before the tragedy, on Sunday morning, Akshat had spoken to his parents over a video call.