A special train carrying the passengers, who were stranded at the accident site at Bahanaga Bazaar in Odisha, arrived from Bhadrak, at Visakhapatnam Railway Station on Saturday evening.
The passengers, who went through the nightmare, broke down as they recounted their harrowing experiences to mediapersons at the railway station. They described it as ‘rebirth’ for them having survived the gory accident.
“We heard a loud sound, and I fell to the floor from the upper berth. I saw my children also lying on the floor. We all survived with injuries. There were many persons lying on the floor with injuries and some lying dead. Luckily, for me and my children, the rescue teams broke open the glass pane and pulled us out,” said a middle-aged woman recalling the horrifying experience.
“We had boarded the train at Shalimar (West Bengal) and our coach was next to the locomotive I was travelling with my mother, wife, and two children. After the train crossed Baleswar, we heard a loud noise. Luckily, the lights in the coach were on and I managed to wriggle out of the coach. My wife, mother and children were brought out safely by the rescue teams,” said a passenger. Many of the passengers were in a dazed condition, and were not willing to speak.
“My husband had called me on the phone that he will come on Friday. Meanwhile, my brother saw in the news that the Coromandel Express met with an accident, near Balasore. I tried calling on his mobile but there is no response. Seeing the bodies and severed limbs on the spot, I am apprehensive of his safety,” said another woman.
Meanwhile, railway sources said that 41 passengers came to Visakhapatnam by the special train. The district administration arranged transport for the passengers going to different destinations, and Waltair Division arranged food packets for them.
