'Dead bodies everywhere': Survivors of Odisha train accident recount horror
"Families crushed away, limbless bodies and a bloodbath on the train tracks." This is how Anubhav Das, a survivor of Odisha's Balasore triple train crash on Friday, described the aftermath of India's worst train accident. Witnesses and survivors said a loud bang and just a few seconds turned into a nightmare for hundreds of people caught in the deadly train wreck.
'Have personally seen over 200-250 deaths': Das
Das claimed to have personally seen more than 200-250 deaths. "As a passenger on the Coromandel Express from Howrah to Chennai, I'm extremely thankful to have escaped unscathed. It probably is the biggest train accident-related incident," he said. Three general coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express were fully damaged and derailed, while about 13 coaches of the Coromandel Express were "completely damaged," he added.
Das describes train crash on Twitter
Another eyewitness says he saw limbs scattered all around
Another survivor told NDTV that they saw limbs scattered everywhere after the train accident. "I was woken up when the train derailed. Some 10-15 people fell over me. I injured my hand and neck," they said. "When I got out of the train, I saw limbs scattered all around; a leg here, a hand there. Someone's face was disfigured," they added.
Watch: Survivor narrates ordeal in hospital
Many passengers were thrown out of compartments
Another survivor, Pijush Poddar, said, "We were jolted and suddenly saw the train bogie turn on one side. Many of us were thrown out of the compartment...When we managed to crawl out, we found bodies lying all around." Reportedly a native of Berhampore in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, Poddar was on his way to Tamil Nadu for work when the tragedy happened.
Locals rushed to help injured people
Meanwhile, around 2,000 locals reportedly rushed overnight to the Balasore Medical College and Hospital to help the injured and donate blood. "The local people really went out on a limb to help us...They not only helped in pulling out people but retrieved our luggage and got us water," Rupam Banerjee, one of the passengers, told ANI.
Know more about accident
In one of the deadliest railway accidents in recent history, three trains crashed in Odisha on Friday night, killing nearly 290 people and injuring hundreds more so far. Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said a goods train and two passenger trains collided in the state's Balasore. The death toll is expected to rise further as the rescue operations are underway.
