False ceiling collapses in posh city hotel, 3 killed

Jaipur: Three people died and at least 50 were injured when a false ceiling at the upmarket Hotel Bella Casa near Jawahar Circle came crashing down on Wednesday. Around 150 people were in the banquet hall, where the tragedy occurred, for a pre-marriage ceremony (bhaat).Ramesh Modi, one of the guests, said: “Collapse of the ceiling was so immediate that we couldn't get any time to react. The entire false ceiling fell on people. The entire hall was enveloped with dust. Soon, people were seen buried in the debris, trying to wriggle themselves out.“Police and fire-control teams soon arrived at the spot responding to the calls made by the hotel staff. The third floor of the hotel, where the incident took place, threw up a picture of horror with the injured screaming in pain and clueless guests trying to rescue their relatives from the debris when TOI reporter reached there. The rescue team, armed with oxygen masks and first-aid kits, were at work amidst sirens of ambulances rolling down in every ten minutes.“As soon as we got into the hall, we saw many people bleeding from their heads.Some people had suffered major injuries as pieces of broken florescent lights had cut into their skins,“ said Ashok Tyagi, a member of the rescue team.While some of the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals -Fortis and Jaipuria -others were taken to SMS hospital. The deceased have been identified as Nemi Chand Satya Naryan and Keshav Dev .“We have cordoned off the hotel as it is unsafe for people.What led the ceiling to fall is a matter of investigation. A team of FSL officials has been sent to the hotel,“ said a senior police official. “The hotel booking was made by Rajesh Jain, a resident of Mumbai. He, along with other family members, had flown to Jaipur for the function organized for his niece, Manjula, who lives in Jaipur.She was to soon get married to Surat-based businessman Kushel. Jain's brother-in-law Mohan Gonenka was looking after all the arrangements,“ Hanuman Prasad, additional DCP (east), told TOI. According to the police, guests had also come from Surat and Nawalgarh.Neem Chand (74) is believed to be the would-be bride's grandfather while the other two who died were her uncles.