FAMILIES SHARE TALES OF HORROR
Grief, shock and outrage hung in the air a day after around 61 people were killed and 94 injured when a train ploughed through crowds watching Dussehra celebrations in Amritsar on Friday. Many were still looking for their missing kin.
AMRITSAR : Grief, shock and outrage hung in the air a day after around 61 people were killed and 94 injured when a train ploughed through crowds watching Dussehra celebrations in Amritsar on Friday.
NIECE NOT TOLD ABOUT HUSBAND, SON’S DEATH
Dabbu Mandal, a labourer from Mohkampura area, said, “My niece Aarti (23) along with her husband Jatinder (24) and her son Shivam (2) had been living in my house since last two years. On Friday, the three had gone to witness the Dussehra celebration at Jaura Fatak and were hit by the train. Jatinder and Shivam were killed while Aarti suffered injuries and was admitted to Hartej hospital. She has been asking us about her husband and son, but we are not telling about their deaths as she fell unconscious two times since Friday night.”
WOMAN GOES IN COMA; HUSBAND, SON KILLED
Kiran Kumari of Jaura Fatak said, “My uncle Dinesh (40), his wife Preeti (38) and their son Abhishek (12) had gone to see the burning Ravana. Hit by the train, Dinesh and Abhishek lost their lives on the spot while Preeti suffered severe head injury and she has been in coma. Their another son Arush (3) is longing for his parents.”
COUSIN MISSING, PHONE UNREACHABLE
Rajan Kumar, who played the role of Hanuman in the Dussehra celebration, said his cousin Munish, a DAV college student, was at the Dussehra celebrations.
“Since the train tragedy happened, his phone number has been unreachable. I am sure he was hit by the train, but we are not able to find his body.”
KIN LOOK FOR BOY’S REMAINS AFTER PICS OF HEAD APPEARED
Vijay Kumar, a wholesale dealer of shoes and resident of Dharampur, said his son Manish, who had passed out of Class 12 and was unemployed, had left the house at 5 pm on Friday, but hasn’t returned yet.
“As we heard about the tragedy, we started searching him, but failed. We visited all the hospitals of the city throughout night, but did not find him. Finally, we saw a picture of a severed head lying on the tracks on social media,” he said.
Vijay Kumar believes the picture is that of his 19-year-old son. Manish’s younger brother, Ishu said the administration had shown them a leg, but they are not sure whether it is Manish’s.
MORE THAN 20 BODIES STILL UNIDENTIFIED AT MORTUARIES
Rajneesh Arora, regional transport officer (RTO) Amritsar, who has been deployed at Amritsar civil hospital’s mortuary house, said, “There are more than 10 bodies here, beyond recognition because of their severe limbs”. As per the district administration, around 20 bodies remain unidentified.