It was a miraculous escape for four people from Kerala who were on board the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, one of the trains involved in the Balasore train accident on Friday night.
K S Kiran, 36, and three others, all natives of Thrissur in Kerala, had taken the train from Shalimar in West Bengal, and had planned to return to Thrissur on another train from Chennai.
At least 238 people died and more than 900 were injured after 10-12 coaches of the Coromandel Express derailed near Balasore in Odisha and fell on an adjacent track in the path of another train going from Bengaluru to Howrah on Friday night.
“Even the sleeper coach was crowded. Our tickets were not confirmed, so we had to vacate the seats for confirmed ticket-holders after the train left Balasore station. The four of us were standing, carrying our bags, when we heard a loud noise,” said Kiran, describing the moment the accident took place.
“We didn’t know what exactly happened. Suddenly, I felt our bogie crashing into the left side of the track. After that, it rolled twice, throwing the passengers around, with many falling on top of others. With the bogie upside down, somebody broke out through the emergency exits and a few others managed to get out through the doors on both sides,” he said.
“The light in the compartment had gone out immediately after the first crashing sound. Passengers who could move walked over others who could not stand up in the upside-down compartment. We (the four Malayalis) managed to get out of the train through the doors and broken windows,” he said.
“Outside our compartment, I saw the coach behind us was badly mangled and broken. I heard only a moaning from that coach, which was filled with darkness. Rescue workers were yet to reach the spot then…,” Kiran added.
Advertisement
The four from Kerala soon managed to find each other outside the train and then, fearing that a fire could break out, moved to a nearby paddy field.
“One of us, Vaishakh, had sustained a head injury, so we were in a hurry to ensure he got medical aid. At a distance, we saw a light and we walked towards it. It was the house of a local resident, who arranged a vehicle to take us to a local hospital, where we are now. It was only after we were taken to the hospital that we understood the gravity of the situation,” Kiran said.
The four had gone to Kolkata a month ago after a Thrissur-based contractor assigned them the flooring work of a temple there.
"crowded" - Google News
June 03, 2023 at 04:18PM
https://ift.tt/KmUVxqX
Survivors from Kerala recount chaos, darkness inside crowded sleeper coach of Coromandel Express - The Indian Express
"crowded" - Google News
https://ift.tt/Ybe6adw
https://ift.tt/eVzsB0u
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Survivors from Kerala recount chaos, darkness inside crowded sleeper coach of Coromandel Express - The Indian Express"
Post a Comment