‘I saw 3 women floating in water, but could not save them’
HARDA: As rescuers grappled with inclement weather, panicstricken survivors recounted the tales of midnight horror as the tracks caved in, leaving a row of carriages lying on either sides of a mud field. Manoj Mongi of Muzaffarnagar said, “I was jolted out of sleep. I saw three women floating in the water. I tried but could not save them.” Manoj, 38, was travelling alone.
When the accident took place, villagers started the rescue operation before the police and National Disaster Response Fund teams could reach. Another survivor, Shashi Bhushan Pandit, 30, from Allahabad was not sure how many people survived the tragedy. “The current was swift and I fear too many people are still trapped.”
Navid Krishnan was running from pillar to post looking for his missing son. “I don’t know where to go and what to do. The NDRF is looking for my son. I just hope he is safe.” Around 11.30 pm, there was a loud noise and then the bogeys got derailed. Water on the track was at least three feet high. Abhinav Pathak, 30, said, “Those who got hold of upper berths or poles could escape the swirling water.”
Some survivors are of the opinion that the rescue work began very late. Chandresh Bhushan, 25, said, “The mishap took place around 11.30 but rescue teams arrived at the spot only after 2.00 am. If there was no delay, many more lives could have been saved.”
( As told to Neeraj Santoshi, M Poornima