In a chilling account of the tragic train accident, eyewitnesses in Bahanaga village shared their haunting experiences of the horrifying scene that unfolded on Friday evening. Ashok Samal, a local shopkeeper, was jolted by a deafening crash while he was near the railway track. As he rushed towards the site, he was confronted with a gruesome sight—mangled coaches piled atop one another. The collision involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, both packed with passengers.
“The air was filled with loud shrieks, and blood was splattered everywhere. People trapped inside the wrecked coaches were crying out for help. I saw several bodies pinned under the overturned carriages,” recounted Samal, who joined fellow villagers in a frantic effort to assist the victims.
Tragically, it is feared that around 100 people have lost their lives, while nearly 300 others have sustained injuries in the devastating crash near the serene Bahanaga village in Odisha’s Balasore district. The incident occurred around 7 pm, and rescue teams swiftly arrived at the scene, cutting through twisted metal to extricate passengers. Amidst the chaos, some survivors expressed gratitude for their fortunate escape. Gobinda Mondal, who was in the first coach of the Coromandel Express, may have avoided the worst impact.
Tragic Train Accident in Bahanaga Village: Eyewitnesses Recall Horror and Heroism
“I felt a sudden jolt, and the coach I was in derailed at a high speed. It skidded for some distance,” Mondal shared in a phone interview. In the midst of the commotion, he noticed a broken window with an iron grill next to his seat. “Someone pushed it, and we managed to get out,” Mondal added. Many passengers from his coach were rescued by local residents like Samal, who were the first to arrive at the accident site.
Heart-wrenching visuals of the wreckage depicted 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express overturned, with distressed passengers perched on top of crushed compartments, desperately seeking assistance. Local residents displayed incredible bravery, pulling out survivors through cracked windows and aiding those trapped due to broken seats.
Mondal recalled the harrowing sight of injured individuals within his coach, pleading for help. “I could see some passengers in pain, requesting assistance. One person complained of chest pain,” shared Mondal, a laborer from Chennai. Authorities revealed that the ill-fated Coromandel Express was carrying numerous migrant laborers from West Bengal to the southern states. Concerned family members of these laborers reached out to local police stations in Bankura, Purulia, and South 24 Parganas districts after learning of the tragic incident through the news. As identification of the deceased and injured passengers would take time, authorities closely monitored the situation.
Passengers aboard the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express shared similarly harrowing experiences. Subhankar Ruidas, a survivor, likened the impact to a strong earthquake when their train collided with the already derailed Coromandel Express. “We felt tremors as our train struck the Coromandel Express. My coach sustained minimal damage, and we remained inside the train. I witnessed rescue operators aiding the injured passengers of the Coromandel Express,” Ruidas recounted.
Emergency response teams, including the state and national disaster relief forces, as well as 50 fire services teams, swiftly reached the accident site, as confirmed by Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena. In a video message, West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi acknowledged the large number of injuries and casualties.
Shocking visuals from the site of the tragic train accident in Bahanaga village have emerged, revealing the sheer devastation and the desperate cries for help that echoed through the air. As onlookers processed the horrifying scene, images depicted 15 coaches of the Coromandel Express lying on their sides, while passengers, overwhelmed by fear and anguish, sought assistance in their dire predicament.
Devastating Collision Unleashes Chaos: Eyewitnesses Share Harrowing Experiences
Near the railway track recalled the moment when an ear-splitting crash shattered the evening calm. Ashok Samal, a local shopkeeper, recounted how he rushed towards the main line connecting Kolkata and Chennai, only to be confronted with a nightmarish sight. The twisted wreckage of the derailed trains, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, lay in a grotesque heap. Samal and several villagers joined forces, compelled by an instinctive desire to rescue those trapped within the mangled carriages.
Amidst the chaos and destruction, the scale of the tragedy emerged. It is feared that approximately 100 lives have been lost, while nearly 300 individuals have suffered injuries in the catastrophic collision near the picturesque Bahanaga village in Balasore district. The incident unfolded around 7 pm, plunging the scene into disarray and prompting urgent rescue efforts. Rescuers worked tirelessly, cutting through the twisted metal in a race against time to extricate survivors. Amongst the survivors, some expressed profound gratitude for their narrow escapes from the wreckage.
Gobinda Mondal, a passenger who occupied the first coach of the ill-fated Coromandel Express, shared his harrowing account. As the train derailed with tremendous force, Mondal found himself caught in a terrifying ordeal. “There was a sudden crash, and my coach veered off the tracks at high speed. It skidded for some distance,” he recounted in a phone interview. Amidst the confusion and fear, Mondal noticed a broken window with an iron grill adjacent to his seat. Seizing the opportunity, he and others managed to extricate themselves from the stricken coach. Their escape was facilitated by the prompt actions of locals like Samal, who rushed to the scene and selflessly aided the injured.