Bhubaneswar, July 12: The horror of facing a train accident showed on their faces as clearly as the excitement of being reunited with their families. The six Oriyas who were among 51 persons injured when the Guwahati–Puri Express, which was derailed following a bomb blast on Sunday in lower Assam, reached the capital today.

“After around two hours of our journey from Guwhati, we heard the sound of a blast around 8pm. Before we could understand what was happening, our coach was shaking violently and we found ourselves being thrown in different directions. I held my three-year-old daughter tightly as my nine-year-old son clutched the rod of the seat,” said 35-year-old Sarat Chhatoi who works for a private in Assam.

Chhatoi, who hails from Astarang in Puri district, was returning home with his family and travelling in coach S1 of the train, which was derailed following the explosion.

Chhatoi said that soon after, everyone was crying and shouting for help. “My wife had got wet as water from the ditch in which our bogey was thrown was flowing into the train. We were six people there and we soon joined forces. Fortunately, none of us had any serious injury,” he said, adding that soon after, he and his friends started rescuing others. Upendra Sahai of Kakatpur, who was working in a cement factory in Assam, said that he was travelling in S3 coach when the blast occurred. “I sustained injuries in my leg, but they was not grievous. But most of my co-passengers sustained severe injuries,” Sahai said, adding that there were around 40 passengers in his bogey.

They said that the rescue teams reached the spot after about an hour. By then passengers were helping each other. Later, the badly injured passengers were taken to the nearby hospitals and the railway authorities made special arrangements to ensure that passengers reached their destinations.