At Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital on Tuesday, the corridor outside the usually busy emergency ward doubled up as a waiting area for families searching for those injured in one of the deadliest explosions the Capital has seen in years.The ward was sealed behind a retractable barrier, as police patrolled the stretch. By afternoon, it was topped with yellow tape that read: “Do Not Trespass.”A short distance away stood dozens of people, anxious and exhausted, arguing with the guards for a glimpse of the injured admitted inside.Among them was Rupa, her eyes red from fatigue. Her father-in-law, Vinay Pathak (65) had gone to Chandni Chowk on Monday evening to buy CCTVs. “When we heard the news, my brother-in-law tried calling him, but couldn’t reach his phone,” she said. “After searching several hospitals, we finally found him here at 1 am. He was operated on for 7-8 hours but hasn’t regained consciousness.”Also in the crowd were several sporting bandages, hoping they would be let inside the ward for treatment. Many of them were workers and vendors who had finished their day’s work when the blast struck.Bijender Yadav (55), a water-pouch seller, sported three bandages on his forehead, chin and wrist. Next to him were Ram Prakash Das (55), a chole-kulche vendor, and Udit (32), who runs a ragda-kachauri cart.They had first gone to a private hospital for basic dressing. “We came here as we thought treatment would be better and free but they won’t even let us in,” Yadav claimed.Story continues below this adTheir frustration grew as they were repeatedly told to move away. Eventually, they walked out.Yadav said, “… When our families called, we lied and said we were fine… so they don’t worry.”Not far from them stood Mohammad Sher (50), with his younger son Taufeeq. He had been waiting since midnight to see his elder son, Shaqeer, a cab driver. “Around 11.30 pm yesterday, we got a call from the insurance firm saying his car was charred and he was admitted here. We’ve been roaming these corridors ever since.”At 11 am today, Sher got a call from an unknown number. “It was him (my son). He said his eyebrows and eyelids were burnt, and his leg was bruised.” His relief was tempered with disbelief that Shaqeer had survived by breaking the car window and jumping out.Story continues below this adNitin (28) sat on a bench but got up repeatedly to check the emergency ward. His brother-in-law, Shiva Jaiswal (36), had gone to Chandni Chowk to buy supplies for his garments business. “We haven’t met him yet but his entire back is burnt, his nose broken,” he said.In Daryaganj, Mohammad Farooq’s family were desperate to meet him. Farooq (55) lives with his parents, wife and daughter, who is in her early 20s, and runs an AC repair shop from his home.His nephew, Aamir, who is looking after the shop in his absence, said, “He was coming back from Kashmere Gate on his scooter when the blast occurred… he came home shaken and in complete shock. It was only after we saw him bleeding from his feet that we rushed him to the hospital.”“… We went to the hospital but couldn’t meet him… so we came back,” he added.