BALASORE: Amid the scary images of Friday’s tragic train accident at Bahanaga, there were moments of humanity as people turned up in hordes to help the survivors. Chaitali Lodh of Kolkata was in Balasore when news of the accident broke. Accompanied by her colleague Yasobanti Sahoo of Balasore, she rushed to Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital (FM MCH) to help carry the injured passengers.
Narrating the harrowing sight at the hospital, Chaitali said the priority was to ensure that the injured get proper and timely treatment. “We were scared to see the plight of some badly-injured patients. But we cast aside our fears and took them for ultrasound, X-ray and other necessary tests.”
Similarly, Apsana Khatun of Baripada in Mayurbhanj district said she rushed to Pandit Raghunath Murmu MCH after she was told that some of the survivors have been brought there for treatment. “When I reached the hospital at around 7.30 pm on Friday, I saw ambulances lined up in front of the OPD. In the absence of manpower, many of the injured were waiting to reach the wards. We arranged stretchers and carried some of them. My friends also arranged nearly 300 units of blood,” she added.
Priyanka Mohanty, another volunteer of ward no 7 in Baripada town, said many victims were directly admitted to the trauma care centres since they needed immediate care. “After admitting the injured to the hospital, I rushed to the Niramaya centre to bring medicines prescribed by the doctors. With the help of my friend Subrat Panda, I also supplied water and other eatables like biscuits and glucose to the injured.”
Proving to be a Good Samaritan, Bijay Raj Patra who runs a hotel at Cinema Hall Chowk in Balasore town, said he and his friends supplied 500 plates of cooked food to the injured and their attendants. “We plan to provide over 1,000 plates of cooked food to the victims and their attendants on Sunday,” he added.
Meanwhile, several NGOs and members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were also seen rushing to the hospitals and distributing bananas, water bottles, biscuits and fruit juices to the victims of the tragic mishap.