Passengers who narrowly escaped three train accidents in Odisha got off a special train at Vijayawada railway station on Saturday. , Photo Credit: KVS Giri
“We never thought we would see you again. Many passengers around us died on the spot. This is a rebirth for us, all thanks to the almighty,” said a person who arrived in Vijayawada by a special train from Balasore on Saturday said one survivor of the triple train wreck.
When the survivors of the accident informed about this horrific incident, they were shocked. “It was dark outside and the train had just crossed Balasore railway station and was near Bahanaga Bazar railway station. It was going at high speed, when suddenly there was a deafening sound and we jumped all over. The coach rolled upside down and the passengers started crying out in fear. I thought I was going to die,” said Abu Kasim Laskar, a cloth merchant, aboard the Coromandel Express in Kolkata.
“It was pitch dark outside and I was stuck in the coach and could not see anything. After an endless wait, the rescuers came to the spot and pulled me out of the coach,” said Mr Laskar Hindu At Vijayawada Railway Station.
Another passenger, Lakshmi Biswas, who escaped unhurt, said many passengers were trapped in the damaged coaches and were crying for their loved ones. Ms Lakshmi, who got down at the station with her two children, said, “I will be forever grateful to the rescue workers for saving my life.”
Legislators Velampalli Srinivas, Malladi Vishnu and YSRCP leader Devineni Avinash, who interacted with the survivors, said the state government had sent teams to the accident site to assist and rehabilitate the victims.
NTR District Collector S. Delhi Rao said instructions have been issued to railway officials and revenue officials to provide accommodation and transport to the accident victims who have returned to Vijayawada by special train.