“It was a harrowing experience. We saw smoke and flames soaring and then the train came to a sudden stop. When we stepped out, we saw derailed bogies and injured people,” said Sister Susan of the Sacred Hearts Convent, Nasik. She was on board the illfated Nizamudeen-Ernakulam Lakshadweep Mangala Express which derailed at Ghoti, Maharastra on Friday.
Three passengers were killed and at least forty injured in the accident. The Central railways had arranged a special train to assist stranded passengers who were to come to Ernakulam. The train reached the Ernakulam Junction station at 6.15 pm on Saturday. The passengers who alighted at the Ernakulam Junction station were grateful to have reached their destination safely.
“The Central railways acted quickly. Ambulances were arranged to take the wounded to the nearby hospitals. The remaining passengers were given first aid and were transported to Igatpuri station in Nashik. We had only to wait for another hour before a special train service was arranged,” said the passengers. The sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent were in the S4 coach, just two coaches away from the derailed coaches. “One girl who sat next to us told us that she was thrown four seats away from her berth,” Sister Susan said. Ernakulam Area Manager P L Ashok Kumar confirmed that there were no casualties among Malayalees.
“The coaches used by Indian Railways are anti-telescopic, which do not turn turtle or flip in case of a collision. But we have received reports that the Mangala Express train was not anti-telescopic,” he said. The special train which arrived from Igatpuri will return from Ernakulam junction as Tr. No. 06346. The train will leave Ernakulam Junction at 1.55 pm to reach Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) at 4 pm on Sunday.
