VIZIANAGARAM: Penumaji Gowri Naidu, a mason from Kapusambham village in Garividi mandal of Vizianagaram district, recounts the horrific experience he underwent during the tragic train mishap on Sunday evening at Kantakapalli. He was travelling in the last coach of the ill-fated Palasa passenger when the accident took place.
“On Sunday, I boarded the last coach of the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger after completing my work at Visakhapatnam. The Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train which was coming behind suddenly hit our train. People of Kantakapalli, Alamanda, Kothavalasa, and neighbouring villages reached the spot and launched the rescue operation along with the other passengers in both trains,” Gowri Naidu said.
Due to the bad terrain and poor lighting, the rescue operation encountered inconvenience and the ambulances were forced to stop 2km away from the accident spot, he recalled. “I can still hear the screams of the victims who got stuck in the wreckage. The locals shifted tens of injured persons on their shoulders in the dark to the ambulances. This is the most horrific and heart-wrenching scene I have witnessed in my life,” he said.