Parth Sarthi Mishra (35), who works with a private bank, was on the Indore-Rajendranagar Express (train No. 19321) that derailed in Pukhrayan near Kanpur in the early hours of Sunday. The Patna resident was on his way to Lucknow to catch a flight home after completing formalities at his new posting in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and was awake in an AC 3 tier compartment when the accident happened. He spoke to The Telegraph from Lucknow airport, where he was waiting for a flight to Patna.

 

I boarded the train from Jhansi at 11.45pm on Saturday to reach Lucknow for my morning flight to Patna (which he had to cancel and take another later flight). I was in 3AC, right next to S1, one of the worst-hit coaches. Little more than three hours later, I realised something very bad had just happened.

It was around 3.05am and I was awake. Suddenly I felt the coach bang against something so hard that I could not understand what happened. Some people fell on me. Some started shouting. Children were crying. Nobody understood what happened. The train moved ahead for about another 500m on momentum, and stopped. I managed to climb out of the coach with my handbag and laptop bag. I saw we were near a village. First thing I did was call my elder brother Akshay Shukla in Jhansi to inform him that the train had derailed.

Next, I called my wife Jyoti Mishra at home (the couple live at Maxwell Complex on Boring Canal Road). She obviously did not know about the accident and got really tense when I told her what had happened. She thought I was injured and started crying over the phone. I convinced her I was not hurt and asked her not to tell my mother as she would worry.

After speaking to my family, I started walking along the tracks. Bodies were strewn all around. In around half-an-hour, the nearby villagers reached the spot. I saw two girls, about 5 or 6 years old, crying and searching for their father. I waited with them for nearly an hour till their father, Sandeep Mishra, came. He was shaken but not too badly injured.

The train was packed because many passengers were on their way to Patna to attend weddings. I was on my way home after completing formalities in Bhopal (he was recently transferred to Bhopal. He had taken the Shatabdi Express from Bhopal to Jhansi on Saturday evening. He waited at his brother Akshay's house till it was time for his train to Lucknow).

I was at the accident spot for at least two hours till my relatives arrived from Orai, around 20km away. They dropped me near a toll plaza where I would get a bus to Kanpur. I reached Kanpur at 7am and from there, boarded a local train to Lucknow. I reached Lucknow at 10am.

I just want to reach Patna as soon as possible. Everybody at home is tense and they want to see me. I have never gone through such a painful journey. It was a pathetic situation at the derailment site. I can still see the scene in front of my eyes. I don't think I can ever forget it.

Waiting for my flight to Patna, I am in trauma. All I can think of is how God saved my life.