Of buzzing flies, a raised hand, and calls unanswered

Almost 24 hours after the explosion in Gulistan, firefighters at the site noticed a swarm of flies above a particular spot in the debris.

The rescuers sent in their K-9 unit to take a look. The cadaver dogs, who are exceptionally trained at sniffing out dead bodies, began madly pawing at the spot -- there was a body there.

Since the rescuers could not go in with any heavy machinery as the  building was deemed too risky by the authorities, the body had to be dug out manually.

This was how the body of Md Robin Hossain was found yesterday evening.

It took a painstaking two hours for the firefighters to remove the debris before they reached two bodies buried in the basement.

Robin's body, which had borne the brunt of seven whole stories crashing down on it, was crushed beyond recognition.

The man, hailing from Shariatpur, had gotten married just two months ago and lived in Jurain with his new wife, while working at the sanitaryware shop as a salesperson.

The other body was that of Momin Uddin Sumon, Robin's colleague.

Momin's friend Mohammad Arif was found desperately looking for him in the morning. In late afternoon, he found his friend dead.

Speaking to The Daily Star before the bodies were found, Arif said, "After hearing the news of the explosion, I kept calling him [Momin]. The calls went through but he never picked up. The mobile phone kept ringing till 9:00pm yesterday [Tuesday]. Later, the rescuers found the phone. But not my friend."

"We have not lost hope," said brother of Mehedi Hasan Swapan, who is still missing after the Gulistan blast.

Arif further said they were hoping Momin would be rescued alive the night before, but their hopes faded when Rajuk imposed restrictions citing the building was risky.

Meanwhile, the family of Mehedi Hasan Swapan still holds out hope. The man from Sonaimuri in Noakhali has two children aged eight and four, who traveled all the way to Dhaka to look for their father yesterday.

"We have not lost hope," said his brother.

The only reason that Ariful Haque Sunny, an employee at a shop of the ill-fated building, could be spotted and rescued is because he managed to free one arm and raise it above the debris.

He is currently being treated at DMCH with 19 others who were injured in the blast.

"Around 4:45pm, the ceiling and the walls began to collapse following a big blast. I can't remember much of what happened afterwards," Sunny said.

Another victim, Md Tuhin, who is receiving treatment in the same ward, worked at a shoe-making shop in a building next to the one where the explosion took place.

"I heard a loud bang and suddenly the room went dark. Debris fell on my head, and I tried to make my way to the stairs. But I broke my leg as I stumbled."

Saiful Islam was working for a Sundarban Courier Service's outlet in the building's basement, when he heard a loud noise.

He initially feared that his computer had exploded.

Saiful recounted how he managed to climb over the wall and escape the building, only to see two bodies beside him when he fell to the floor.

Expressing gratitude for his survival, he felt as though he had been given a new lease of life.

Currently undergoing treatment in Ward 103 of DMCH, Saiful was taken to the hospital by his colleagues.

Jahangir Hossain and his brother Khalilur Rahman were visiting a courier service at the Gulistan building. After completing their work, Khalil left the building but Jahangir was still inside when the explosion occurred.

Jahangir, with severe injuries, is now being treated at DMCH.

Khalil said, "After the blast, I was searching for my brother everywhere. Someone informed me that he had been taken to the hospital."