Two days after the fire accident in the State-run hydel station in Srisailam on Friday, which saw nine persons, including five engineers, perish, a brief video of the situation recorded by one of them surfaced on Sunday.
The video of not more than 30 seconds, was reportedly the last recorded conversation between two assistant engineers Dharavath Sundar Naik and Mohan Kumar, who were stuck in the underground station.
Dominated by blaring emergency alarms, the shaky video faintly shows Mr. Naik in a white vest, who was also recording the scenes on his cellphone.
The panic talk between the two engineers ends abruptly, with Mr. Naik telling the other to “Give up hope”.
Sundar Naik: If we remain here, we will be finished
Mohan Kumar: What do we do then? Let’s think for a moment and then leave.
SN: If we keep thinking, this will accelerate too.
MK: No brother, shouldn’t we have some hope?
SN: Difficult, we are finished. Mohan, give up hope.
The video surfaced on Sunday when Prameela, widow of Mr. Naik, switched on the phone and searched for content relating to the accident, if any.
Later speaking to a few television channels over phone, she also said that her husband had called her at 11.45 p.m. that day.
“He told me to take care of myself and the babies. He told that there was no time, that he might be killed in the fire and smoke that was engulfing the whole place. It was only a 30-second call, and my return calls were not answered,” Ms. Prameela said.
