Calcutta, May 17: Rekha Talapatra only remembers a ball of smoke coming towards her. After that the 46-year-old passed out inside Readymade Centre in Sodepur.

“Suddenly there was a ball of smoke rushing towards me and I was engulfed by it. Within seconds, I could not breathe. After that I remember nothing,” she said from her bed in the intensive care unit (ICU) of AMRI, Salt Lake.

The smoke claimed Rekha’s husband Gobinda Talapatra, who died at the Panihati State General Hospital yesterday. Her family told Rekha about Gobinda’s death today.

“Her eyes were searching for him and fearing the worst,” a doctor said. “The news shattered her.”

Rekha could barely whisper today. “Her vocal chords have been damaged from the toxic fumes, so she is unable to speak properly,” said S. Bandyopadhyay, ICU head at AMRI. “The toxic fumes have also damaged her lungs.”

Raktima Ghosh, 27, admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) of Apollo Gleneagles, said: “I will never go shopping alone.”

She recalled: “There was black smoke everywhere and I could not keep my eyes open. I gasped, then went blank.”

Throughout the day, she felt a severe burning sensation in her throat.

Raktima is one of five patients admitted to Apollo Gleneagles. Rita Mukherjee, 45, and Kajal Dutta, 50, are also there.

“All of them have suffered damage to their lungs,” said a doctor at the hospital.

At SSKM Hospital, Nitai Biswas, 32, was fighting for his life in the ICCU. So was Pallab Chakraborty, 33, in the ICCU of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. “Pallab’s condition is critical,” said K. Roy, medical superintendent.

Shilpi Pal, 25, Ajay Chowdhury, 31, also at R.G. Kar, are stable.