By IANS,
Howrah : “I can never forget the sight of two kids burning as their partially burnt mother wailed for help,” said Nupur Mishra, one of the survivors of the Howrah-Dehradun Express fire tragedy that claimed seven lives Tuesday.
As the down Doon Express, carrying back 11 survivors of the tragedy, chugged into Howrah station, anxious family members rushed to embrace their dear ones and thanked their stars for having got them back.
“I am so happy to see my parents back. I cannot describe how I felt after getting news of the tragedy. Though I am sad for those killed, I am relieved to see my parents back,” said Sarmishta Das Mishra, Nupur’s daughter.
Four members of the Mishra family had boarded the ill-fated B1 coach from Howrah. Though they survived the horror with only minor injuries, the scar of the incident will remain forever.
“Screams of people engulfed in flames and running around is still echoing in my ears. I am happy to be alive, but I can never fathom the plight of those who stood helpless seeing their loved ones burn to death in front of their eyes,” said Minati Sarkar, who had boarded the train along with her husband to visit Haridwar.
Both Nupur and Minati claimed the death toll was much higher than the official figure.
“Apart from those two kids and their mother, I have seen others engulfed in fire. Lot more people have died than what the authorities claim,” said Sarkar.
Unlike Sarmishta, Ashok Chakrabarty was not so fortunate as his brother-in-law Nirbikarananda was not among those who returned.
“I got the news in the morning and since then I have been trying to reach him, but to no avail. I called up the authorities at Gomoh and Howrah but they do not have any clue. His name is neither in the list of dead nor has he returned. Hope he is alive,” said Chakrabarty, fighting back his tears.
The passengers also claimed they did not get the required assistance from authorities after the accident.
“We had to wait at the site for over four hours before we were taken to Gomoh, where we were given medical and other assistance. We were kept waiting amid smell of burning flesh and heart wrenching wails,” said Chedi Shaw, another passenger.
The relatives of the survivors also had a difficult time locating the assistance booth at the Howrah station which was set up without proper display.
The tragedy occurred between Nimiyaghat and Parasnath railway stations in Jharkhand’s Giridih district around 2.30 a.m. Tuesday after two AC coaches caught fire. The blaze left over a dozen people injured, besides killing seven.
As per the announcement by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, Rs.25,000 was handed over to each of the passengers after they were given medical assistance.
“Six of the passengers had minor injuries and they are suffering from psychological shock because of the enormous mental agony they suffered,” Chief Health Director (Howrah) A.K. Saha said.