THRISSUR: The comforts of their hotel room offered little distraction from the pangs that four Anthikkad natives felt on Saturday evening. The previous day, i.e. on Friday, the four — Kiran K S, Vijesh, Vaisakh and Raghu — had miraculously survived a train accident in Odisha, likely one of the worst disasters the country has seen in the last few decades.
They were part of an eight-member group, hailing from Thrissur’s Anthikkad, that left for Kolkata as part of work — to construct the roof of a temple there. While half of them returned on Wednesday, the four stayed back for another day to tend to some final touches.
They were onboard the ill-fated Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express train that was involved in the rail accident, which also involved the Yashwantpur-Howrah Express train and a goods train. The incident occurred near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district around 7 pm on Friday.
“We heard loud noises, and the train started jerking suddenly. By the time we figured out what was happening, the bogies in front of us had already gone off the rails. Our bogie, too, was beginning to overturn. We managed to save three or four co-passengers. After ensuring they were safe, I tried to jump out of the train, a task that seemed nearly impossible. However, I managed to get out just in the nick of time. The bogie overturned in front of my eyes,” Kiran said.
He said the rescue operations were underway almost immediately after the accident. Kiran recounted how, after emerging out of the bogie, he saw bodies strewn about, some lifeless, others severely injured. His group, too, sustained injuries. “We are safe. We plan to start the return trip to Kerala soon,” he said.