CHENNAI: On Sunday morning, relatives of survivors of the deadly train accident in Odisha, breathed a sigh of relief after a special train carrying their loved ones chugged into the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central railway station.
G Sumathi was one of them. She and her mother-in-law learnt about the horrific accident after watching it on the news. She immediately called her husband and found out he was one of the lucky ones as he escaped with minor injuries. He was one of the 137 survivors who reached Chennai around 4.30 am by a special train.
Still shaken by the trauma, the survivors were happy to be home. Only seven people had suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), where a special ward was arranged to treat them. All, except one, were discharged after the tests.
Sumathi’s husband Gandhi, a lorry driver, had gone to Bangladesh to deliver vehicles. He did not narrate the extent of his injury to the family because he knew they would be worried. He suffered minor scratches on his left ankle and was stable.
Joy, a Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, was visibly shaken. He and his family members were returning from Kolkata after his retirement party on May 31. Speaking to TNIE, Joy said, this was the first major train accident he had witnessed in recent times. He said they were lucky as their compartment did not suffer much damage. A woman passenger from Kerala, who was also travelling on the train, said she was very disturbed after witnessing all the bodies lying around.
Many migrant labourers, heading to Bengaluru said, the train picked up speed and there was a sudden jerk. Moments later, it was off track. We all thought this was our end, but luckily we survived without major injuries, said one of the migrant labourers.
The state had kept medical teams and 20 advanced life-saving ambulances ready at the railway station. Health Minister Ma Subramanian and Minister for Disaster Management KKSSR Ramachandran, Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi and other officials received the passengers at the railway station. Speaking to the press, Subramanian said so far no casualties or grievously injured passengers from Tamil Nadu were reported, but the state is continuously monitoring it.