RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM/ VISAKHAPATNAM/VIJAYAWADA: As inquiries keep pouring at help desks for missing passengers in the ill-fated trains -- Coromandel Express and Yeshwantpur Express, survivors are recalling their horrific experience.
According to 36-year-old Srimantha Sumantha, who survived the accident, was travelling to Rajamahendravaram from Satraganchi (SRC) railway station for work in the Morampudi area in Rajamahendravaram.
He booked his ticket in a three-tier AC coach and a berth was allotted in B 3 coach of the Coromandel Express.
“All of a sudden there was a big sound, I noticed my train had overturned after colliding with another train. I heard co-passengers crying horribly for help. Slowly I took my luggage and came out of my coach and observed the entire area was filled with overturned and derailed coaches. Hundreds of passengers were shouting for help. I was afraid and in shock. At that time I did not even know if I was alive or dead.
"I kept reminding myself that I have to survive and meet my children, wife and parents. After a lot of trouble, I reached Balasore Railway Station and informed my family members. They arranged a taxi. I arrived in Kolkata past midnight. Now I am with my family members. I have no words to speak after the trauma I have undergone,” the horrified survivor said.
Umamaheswara, a 37-year-old army man from Eluru town travelling in Coromandel Express said it was nothing less than a nightmare.
“We heard a big sound when the accident took place. We were travelling in the B4 AC coach. I was talking with my co-passengers at that time. We did not know what was happening. Our coach overturned. We were terrified. We did not know what to do. Slowly we came out from the coach after some time,” Umamaheswara said.
Raghubabu, another passenger recalled, “I along with my wife Bindusri was chatting with a co-passenger when the accident occurred. We are grateful that we survived. We are on the way to our village. After the train met with an accident, we came out from the coach and reached the nearest road. We went to Bhubaneswar and boarded another train going to Andhra Pradesh."
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Meanwhile, the helpline set up at Visakhapatnam following a tragic train accident in Balasore has been flooded with inquiries since midnight.
Personnel manning the help desk said they attended about 5000 calls as there was an enquiry every second. They said 15 trains were cancelled and some others were diverted. Refund is being given to passengers willing to cancel their journey.
On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a high-level meeting with senior officials to take stock of the situation and deputed a high-level committee headed by IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath.
The committee also has three IAS officers and they will go to the accident spot to extend help in rescue and relief works. Ambulances have also been kept ready for deployment in case necessary.
Help desks have been set up at the district collectorate, besides important railway stations in the state. CMO officials are in touch with their Odisha counterparts and railway officials to get information about the people travelling in both ill-fated trains, casualties, and survivors.
Officials are gathering data on passengers belonging to Andhra Pradesh. They are identifying the casualties in the hospital and verifying if any of them are from the state.
The train crash, one of the deadliest in the country, took place in Balasore district about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar around 7 pm on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to order a probe.
Three trains - the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train were involved in the accident.
The Odisha government issued helpline 06782-262286. The railway helplines are 033-26382217 (Howrah), 8972073925 (Kharagpur), 8249591559 (Balasore) and 044- 25330952 (Chennai).