Sambalpur, Jan. 22: Ramendra Mohanty, 43, is trying to divert his attention from the horror that unfolded in front of his eyes.
The pharmaceutical company employee boarded the general compartment of the ill-fated Hirakhand Express from Jeypore at 4pm on Saturday. However, he moved out of the compartment around 11pm to look for the ticket examiner to request him for a reserved berth.
As luck would have it, the train derailed within moments of Mohanty leaving the compartment. "I heard a high intensity sound and the train suddenly shook before it came to a halt. It felt like an earthquake," Mohanty said.
"I came out of the compartment, which I was in at that time, and saw several coaches, including the one I was sitting in a few minutes ago, had derailed. I went closer to the general compartment and saw at least 10 people lying motionless inside. The sight shocked me and I was left speechless," said Ramendra.
Ramendra was one of the few survivors who spoke to The Telegraph at Sambalpur railway station. He was heading towards Bhubaneswar in the special train that the railway had arranged.
He said: "I don't know whether I should thank God. Many of the people who were travelling in the damaged compartments had died. I saw people screaming and shouting for help. The sight was horrific and heart wrenching."
"After some time, many people and officers of the Railway Protection Force came and rescued the passengers. Bodies were also extricated from the affected compartments. I can never forget the incident," said the Cuttack resident.
Abdul, 27, was in shock when this correspondent met him in Sambalpur. He said: "I was in the overcrowded general compartment. I had dozed off, but woke up to a deafening sound to find that the compartment had derailed."
"The mishap had injured many of my co-passengers, including many women and children. Fortunately, all survived the mishap," he said.
Abdul also said: "Somehow, I managed come out of the compartment in a daze. I saw many co-passengers shout for help, but I was in no condition to help them. I was shivering."
The special train carrying passengers of the ill-fated train arrived in Sambalpur around 3.10pm and stopped for around 10 minutes. Social organisations, including Navyug Marwari Yuva Manch and Khalsa Youth Council, came forward to distribute dry foods and water to the survivors.
Additional divisional railway manager (Sambalpur division) K.D. Rao said: "We have set up a help desk at Sambalpur railway station to provide information about victims. We have also issued help line numbers."
