By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS
Hyderabad : They were having delicious chat at Gokul Chat, a much-frequented food joint, unaware of what fate had in store for them. And at Lumbini Park they were enjoying a laser show – not knowing that death was lurking nearby.
The weekend joy turned into a ghastly tragedy for the families.
The two terror blasts snuffed out 42 lives and shattered many a dream.
Some students who went to buy books from well known book stores in Koti, where Gokul Chat is located, two doctor friends enjoying food at the eatery and dozens of others were killed in the blast at the eatery. The macabre dance of death did not even allow them to savour their last dish.
Officials said the blast at Gokul Chat claimed 32 lives.
Tourists from neighbouring Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and families enjoying a leisure-filled Saturday evening were the victims at Lumbini Park, a popular picnic spot abutting the picturesque Hussain Sagar Lake. The blast at the park killed 10 people.
Every family has a tragic tale to tell.
E. Shyam Rao, an employee with a financial company, had gone to the eatery with his fiancée. Since the joint was crowded, Rao went in to fetch some eatables, but never returned. His fiancée, however, survived.
K. Krishna Chand, who was to celebrate his 27th birthday on Sunday and first marriage anniversary Monday, also died at Gokul Chat. “I don’t know what I should tell my daughter,” said Krishna’s father-in-law crying inconsolably.
Ikramullah Khan, 17, had gone inside the food joint to buy some eatables while his two sisters were waiting outside in an auto rickshaw. The three had gone to buy books in Koti, which has several well-known bookstores. Khan too did not return.
Vigna, 18, had come all the way from Prakasam district to attend engineering counselling for admission into an engineering college. “We should not have come here,” said his wailing father at the mortuary at Osmania General Hospital.
K.V. Anand, an oncologist at Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and his friend Chaitanya Prasad, a surgeon at Osmania Hospital were enjoying some dishes at Gokul Chat. Both were killed in the blast.
Four students from Maharashtra and two policemen from Madhya Pradesh were among those killed in the blast at Lumbini Park.