'Save me please, papa': Students trapped in Lucknow fire made desperate calls

“Save me, please.”

The desperate cry came from inside a commercial building in Lucknow, where an animation training centre turned into a death trap after fire and smoke engulfed the upper floors, leaving students and young professionals trapped inside.

Among those who could not escape was Mohammad Shahjahan, a resident of Fatehpur town in Barabanki. In his final moments, trapped inside the burning building, Shahjahan made a desperate call to his father.

“Papa save me,” were the last words his father heard from his son.

Within minutes of receiving the call, Shahjahan’s father rushed to the spot. But by the time he reached the building, the fire had intensified, and thick smoke had taken over the premises. Despite trying to get inside and seeking help, he could do little as flames blocked the way.

The Lucknow fire eventually claimed 15 lives, turning what initially appeared to be a routine fire incident into one of the city’s deadliest recent tragedies.

As news of the blaze spread, horrifying visuals emerged showing people trapped on upper floors, clinging to window ledges, trying to climb down pipes and screaming for help as black smoke poured out of the building.

Shahjahan’s family was left shattered. The only son of his parents, he had been studying in Lucknow and had dreams for his future. His mother is reportedly inconsolable after losing her son, while his father continues to struggle with the memory of his final phone call.

By the time emergency responders reached the commercial complex, six fire tenders had already been deployed, with flames leaping from multiple floors and dense black smoke billowing through the structure.

Eyewitnesses said screams and cries for help could be heard from inside the building, indicating that several people were still trapped.

"It was clear from the screams that many people were still inside," said one witness.

As thick black smoke swallowed the structure, students trapped on upper floors locked themselves inside bathrooms, hoping to survive. Others tried to escape through windows.

Then came one of the most horrifying moments.

Unable to bear the advancing flames any longer, a young man opened a window and jumped from an upper floor. Onlookers watched as he crashed onto a grill below before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Outside, panic gave way to desperation. Families who had received frantic phone calls from loved ones rushed to the scene. Mothers pleaded with police to let them enter the burning complex, while local residents smashed glass windows with whatever they could find in a frantic attempt to help those trapped inside.

'EVERYTHING WAS BURNING'

One survivor who escaped the fire recounted the terrifying moments inside the building. Holding up his burnt hands before television cameras, he described the panic that gripped those trapped as flames spread rapidly, and thick smoke engulfed the upper floors.

“Everything was burning. We were running. We jumped down using a burning wire. My hands got burnt while trying to escape,” he said.

The man suffered burns while holding onto the wire during his escape from the building.

Eyewitnesses said panic spread within minutes as dense smoke filled the floors housing the animation studio and coaching centre, leaving students and employees scrambling for any possible escape route.

STUDENTS LOCKED THEMSELVES INSIDE BATHROOMS

The three-storey commercial complex in Aliganj's Sector D housed a pet shop and veterinary clinic across the basement, ground and first floors.

The second floor accommodated Learning Space, a coaching centre, and Head Hopper Studio, where 3D art production and game asset outsourcing work was carried out.

Many of those inside were students attending animation classes during their summer vacation, while others were young artists and employees working at the studio.

As smoke rapidly engulfed the upper floor and escape routes disappeared, with several students reportedly locked themselves inside a bathroom in a desperate bid to shield themselves from the advancing flames, hoping rescuers would reach them in time.

One of the trapped youths reportedly called family members and friends, saying five to six people had taken shelter inside a bathroom and were waiting to be rescued.

For many, help never arrived in time.

STUDENT JUMPS FROM UPPER FLOOR

One of the most dramatic moments unfolded when a student jumped from an upper floor to escape the advancing fire. He landed on a grill below and suffered serious injuries.

Eyewitnesses said people gathered below and tried to help as those trapped searched desperately for any possible escape route.

Visuals from the scene showed locals rushing to assist the injured student before he was taken for treatment.

Several others managed to escape with minor injuries, while many remained trapped inside the smoke-filled building.

'LET ME GO TO MY SON'

As the fire raged, scenes of heartbreak unfolded outside the building. Relatives who received distress calls from their loved ones rushed to the spot only to find flames engulfing the structure.

One grief-stricken mother repeatedly begged officials to let her enter the building.

“Mujhe jaane do apne bete ke paas (Let me go to my son),” she screamed while struggling to move past police personnel.

The cries of family members echoed through the area as rescue workers battled the blaze.

Many relatives spent hours waiting for information about their loved ones.

ADITYA'S LAST HOURS

The mood at the scene changed dramatically as senior officials began preparing for the worst. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who had rushed to the site, was heard directing officials over the phone to dispatch every available ambulance to Aliganj.

"Send all available ambulances here immediately," he instructed.

Moments later, rescue personnel began calling for more stretchers.

Then came the grim confirmation of everyone's worst fears.

The first body was brought out of the smoke-filled building.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, a rescuer shouted from inside that the stretchers on hand would not be enough.

A stunned silence fell over the crowd as the rescue operation gave way to a recovery effort. Families waiting anxiously outside broke down in grief as body after body was carried out of the charred structure.

Among those killed was 25-year-old Aditya Srivastava, an employee at the animation studio.

His colleague, Dhiraj Mehra, said Aditya had called him from inside the burning building, pleading for help.

“He called me saying, 'Bacha lo' (Save me), and I rushed to the spot,” Mehra recalled.

By the time he arrived, the building had already been engulfed in thick smoke, leaving rescuers racing against rapidly diminishing hope.

Aditya's mother later broke down while speaking about her son's death.

“Had attention been paid at the right time, perhaps the children could have been saved. My son worked at the animation studio. I reached there around 2.20 pm. Nobody answered the phone,” she said.

“Had someone paid a little more attention, my son would be alive today. My world has been destroyed.”

Aditya's uncle, Ravindra Srivastava, told Aaj Tak, India Today's sister channel, that his nephew died before his mother's eyes.

His mother had gone to the Biswan office building to meet him, but when she arrived, she found the building engulfed in flames. Aditya's younger brother was with her. The two cried out for help and desperately tried to reach him, but were unable to save his life.

Ravindra said Aditya had never feared anyone. "But who knew that fire and the negligence of the system would take his life?" he said.

Expressing anger and despair, Ravindra said that while the tragedy is making headlines now, it would soon fade from public memory. "In a week, people will forget this incident. There will be enquiries, there will be action on paper, and then everything will return to the way it was before," he said.

"The system never changes. It is ordinary people who keep paying the price. If lessons are not learned, such negligence will continue to claim innocent lives," he added.

WEDDING PLANS TURN INTO TRAGEDY

The devastating blaze turned dreams of a new beginning into unimaginable grief for two families.

Nilesh Kumar and Anamika Samant, who were preparing to get married soon, lost their lives in the tragedy.

Anamika’s parents had travelled from Bengal just last week for wedding preparations, unaware that their celebrations would soon turn into mourning.

Nilesh, who was looking forward to a promotion and salary hike, was also making plans for his future with Anamika. Her cousin sister Somilya too died in the blaze.

Homes that were preparing for a wedding are now grieving the loss of their loved ones.

RESIDENTS BECAME FIRST RESPONDERS

At the post-mortem house, the tragedy continued to unfold long after the flames had been extinguished. Relatives of victims, including Abdul Rahman and Sukhmani, arrived searching for answers. Many stood in tears clutching mobile phones containing photographs of their loved ones.

Inside, officials carried out identification and post-mortem formalities.

Outside, families struggled to come to terms with the loss.

As parents, siblings and friends waited for the bodies of those who never made it out alive, the grief that began in the burning building spread to hospitals, mortuaries and homes across the city.

The screams that echoed from the smoke-filled structure had fallen silent. The pain left behind had not.

Even before large rescue teams could gain access to the building, local residents began trying to save those trapped.

People smashed glass windows to create openings for smoke to escape.

Others shouted instructions to those trapped inside and attempted to identify where people were stranded.

Residents of neighbouring buildings supplied water bottles to firefighters as rescue operations intensified.

One eyewitness, Anurag Pandit, a civil services aspirant, could only hope that those trapped would survive.

“I am praying they are alive,” he said.

FIREFIGHTERS STRUGGLED TO ENTER BUILDING

The building's layout emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to the rescue operation.

Officials said the structure had only a single entry and exit point, which was quickly engulfed by flames, cutting off the primary escape route for those trapped inside.

As students and employees continued crying out for help, firefighters struggled to gain access through the smoke-filled building. When conventional rescue efforts proved ineffective, teams turned to an adjoining structure.

Using hydraulic cutters, hammers and drilling machines, rescuers broke through the neighbouring walls in a desperate bid to reach those trapped.

The moment a large opening was created, a thick cloud of black smoke billowed out, momentarily overwhelming even seasoned rescue personnel and underscoring the intensity of the blaze.

For hours, officials had no clear idea how many people remained alive inside.

Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and fire services continued the painstaking operation, with 19 fire tenders deployed to battle the blaze.

The rescue operation began at around 3 pm and continued until about 6 pm, by which time it had largely turned into a recovery mission.

SOLDIER JOINS RESCUE EFFORTS

Among those helping rescue teams was Lance Naik Chhabi Ram, who happened to be passing through the area when he noticed the fire.

The soldier, currently attached to the Lucknow headquarters, joined rescue efforts and assisted officials during the operation.

Later, he said he witnessed more than a dozen bodies being brought out of the building while several people were rescued alive.

PET SHOP ALSO GUTTED

The devastation extended beyond the students and employees trapped upstairs.

The lower floors housed Drool, a pet shop and clinic that was completely gutted in the blaze.

Rescue workers were seen carrying soot-covered cats and other animals out of the charred premises.

Some animals survived with injuries, while others were found covered in ash.

Animal rights activist Kiran Shukla feared several animals may have died in the fire, though there was no official confirmation.

QUESTIONS OVER BUILDING APPROVALS

As the rescue operation ended, serious questions emerged over the building's approval and compliance with safety norms.

Sources said the structure had originally been approved as a residential property but was later converted into a commercial complex.

House tax records reportedly show that the building where the fire broke out had been sanctioned under a residential plan before commercial activities began.

The property is owned by Virendra Prasad Shukla, who is said to be associated with Rameshwaram Engineering College. Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) documents reportedly list the property in the names of Virendra Prasad Shukla and his brothers, Surendra Shukla and Dhirendra Shukla.

Sources said the residential plan was approved earlier, while the building was converted into a commercial complex in 2014.

Officials are now examining whether regulatory lapses enabled the conversion and whether action should be taken against the engineers and officials responsible for oversight.

The tragedy has also raised serious questions about the building's compliance with fire safety norms.

According to existing norms, buildings below 15 metres in height and spread across less than 500 square metres do not require a fire department NOC.

Sources said the owners never applied for a fire NOC.

15 DEAD, SEVERAL INJURED

King George's Medical University (KGMU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Sonia Nityanand said 15 bodies were brought to the hospital following the tragedy.

“One child has suffered a broken waist. The remaining injured are undergoing treatment,” she said.

She added that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed doctors to ensure proper treatment for all injured victims and promised strict punishment for those found responsible.

The bodies were shifted to the post-mortem facility for identification and autopsy.

Most of those killed were young adults.

Additional police personnel were deployed at hospitals and the mortuary as grieving relatives searched for loved ones.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who visited the site and later supervised relief efforts, was visibly emotional.

A teary-eyed Pathak told reporters that he had seen 14 bodies being brought out of the building.

“These were young boys and girls, our children,” he said.

Chief Adityanath later cut short his visit to Aligarh and returned to Lucknow. He inspected the gutted building, visited KGMU and assured families that those responsible for the tragedy would not be spared.

As night fell, families carrying photographs of missing sons and daughters moved between hospitals and the mortuary, searching for answers about how a normal working day inside an animation studio ended in one of Lucknow's worst fire disasters in recent years.