VIJAYAWADA: Several passengers who survived the Odisha train mishap on Friday realise their good fortune and thank God for letting them survive and be with families and friends.
They profusely thanked local villagers who came to their rescue immediately after the mishap and extended all help before the railway authorities, police and health personnel could reach them.
Some realised the enormity of the accident only after seeing several bodies lying on the road covered with a white cloth.
Sukant Kumar Das and his wife had been travelling from Shalimar to Vijayawada by the Coromandel Express bound for Chennai Central from Howrah. He and his wife got accommodation in coach A1 while their son travelled in another coach.
Das says at about 7:00 p.m., he felt a big jolt as the train came to a screeching halt. He thought it might be some mild earthquake. It had been pitch darkness as all lights got switched off. However, he could see from the window commotion with some passengers outside. A few had been crying. A few minutes later, he realised their train had met with an accident. By that time, the 12-year-old son of Das had arrived, giving them great relief.
By then, local villagers had rushed to the place of mishap. They started helping stranded passengers and injured alight the train. Railway authorities, police and health personnel arrived thereafter.
Sukant Das and his family walked through the fields in the dark to reach the national highway. They proceeded to Bhubaneswar Railway Station, where authorities arranged a special train, which they boarded to reach their destination. Das said they realised how major the train mishap had been only on Saturday morning, as media houses started flashing news on the mishap.
“We never experienced such a major mishap in our lives, except for watching them on media. My son does not want to travel by train again, as he is terrified.”
K. Subhashini was travelling from Kharagpur to Rajahmundry in the train along with her husband Lakshmana Rao. She said, “Suddenly there was a huge sound and our window glasses broke. Luggage bags on top berths fell on us. We soon realised our train had derailed. Passengers rushed to the exit to escape. I could see footwear and luggage strewn all over the coach. I lost my mobile phone. We are grateful to God for helping us survive the mishap. This is our first-lifetime experience.”
Said Y. Murali Krishna, travelling from Shalimar to Rajahmundry by the ill-fated train. “Our train came to a sudden halt. There was a power outage. Passengers started crying and there was a lot of commotion outside the train. I came out and walked through the fields up to the highway and reached Berhampur. I am lucky to survive, as the coach I travelled in tilted to one side.
Similar has been the case with several other survivors. They feel lucky that they are able to inform family members, relatives and friends that they are alive and will be seeing them.
