New Delhi: “She was like our mother,” said a medical aspirant, remembering Parvati Ojha, a canteen owner who lost her life while trying to save students moments before a building collapsed in south Delhi’s Saket.

Parvati Ojha, a Nepal-born woman in her early 50s who had spent over two decades in Delhi serving affordable meals to students, died after rushing into her canteen to alert those inside when the adjacent three-storey building began to collapse on Saturday evening, survivors and family members said.

She ran a small canteen with a tin-shed roof adjacent to the building near Saket Metro station. Popular among students preparing for competitive examinations such as FMG, NEET and GATE, the eatery provided home-like warmth for many living away from their families.

“She was like our mother. Staying away from our families, she was our family here,” said Moosan, a Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) aspirant who was present near the site at the time of the incident.

“She would cook things for us even if they were not on the menu. We never felt like customers there,” he said.

According to family members, around 20 to 25 students were inside and around the canteen when the building began to shake.

Her brother-in-law, Hari Prasad Ojha, said Parvati had just completed an order of 12 aloo parathas and four cold coffees when she sensed something was wrong.

“We both felt sudden trembling and rushed outside. We saw the building was falling and realised the canteen could also be hit,” he said.

But even after coming out, she ran back inside to call the students and get them out. She wanted to save them. She never came back, he added.

The collapsing structure fell onto the adjoining canteen, trapping several people beneath the debris.

Hari Prasad said two large coolers were running inside the canteen at the time, generating considerable noise and many students could not hear the sounds coming from the building because of them.

For students, Parvati was more than a canteen owner.

Rishab, a regular visitor, said her food was affordable and her generosity unmatched.

“A simple thali used to cost around Rs 20. If someone was hungry, she would always find a way to feed them,” he said.

Whenever anyone told her they wanted something special, she would prepare it. She treated students like her own children, he said.

Aditi, a medical aspirant, said Parvati’s canteen was one of the few places where students felt cared for amid the pressures of exam preparation.

“Many of us spend months away from home. Aunty would ask if we had eaten, if we were studying too much or sleeping properly. It felt like someone was looking after us,” she said.

Another medical aspirant, Ankush, said Parvati never allowed financial difficulties to come between students and a meal.

“If someone didn’t have money, she would tell them to pay later or not worry about it at all. She knew many students were struggling and she always helped quietly,” he said.

The affection students held for Parvati was evident on Sunday, when dozens gathered near the accident site, many waiting for hours as rescue teams searched through the rubble.

For many students gathered outside the wreckage, however, the loss was not just of a familiar canteen but of a woman they considered family, one who, in her final moments, tried to save them.

Several students also went to the AIIMS Trauma Centre after her body was recovered.

The death toll in the collapse of the three-storey commercial building near Saket Metro station rose to four on Sunday, while several others were rescued and admitted to hospital, officials said.

The building on Western Marg in the Saidulajab area housed a coaching institute, cafes and offices. Construction work was reportedly underway on the upper floor at the time of the incident.

Police said the structure was reduced to rubble, with debris crashing onto the adjoining canteen frequented by students preparing for medical entrance examinations.