Survivors of Odisha train accident recall nightmare

Kolkata: ‘A nightmare I will never forget” – Ashish Sukul penned these six words on Facebook to encapsulate his harrowing experience of narrowly escaping when the Coromandel and Yesvantpur Express trains derailed in Odisha on June 2 last year. On Monday, Sukul, a travelling ticket inspector (TTI) from the Kharagpur division, was at home when he received the news of a goods train colliding with the Kanchanjungha Express.
Ajit Kumar, his colleague who had also survived the same accident, was on duty on the East Coast Express train travelling from Hyderabad to Shalimar when the news broke out. The news of Monday’s accident haunted them with memories, though both were composed enough to carry on with their lives without being overwhelmed by the trauma.
Kumar informed TOI that his train was somewhere in Odisha when he first received the news. “I saw some images on my phone. The passengers in my train were neither aware of my encounter with the Yesvantpur Express nor were they following the casualty at the Kanchanjungha Express. I saw some images but couldn’t dwell on them for long. After all, I am on duty,” Kumar said.
Speaking to TOI, Sukul said a thousand images of the Yesvantpur Express accident flashed in his mind when he heard the news. “It immediately brought back those memories,” he said. In a flash, he remembered how he was seated in his allotted seat number 5 in the A1 coach when the accident happened. He had heard a deafening sound, almost like a series of dynamite explosions with stones being incessantly hurled at the compartment. Before his eyes, he had seen the glass panes shatter. Shrieks of people pierced the air. The collision had dragged his compartment for a kilometer or so from the site of the accident.
Sukul had taken a day’s leave and returned to duty on the train. “Chalti ka naam hai gadi - it is a job and I had to go back to work. Now I don’t even remember on which train I had my next duty after that fateful accident,” he said.
Kumar had returned to work five-six days later . “It is a job and one has to carry on,” he said. When asked if he is anxious about being on a train while getting the news of another accident, Kumar said, “No, it doesn’t impact me so much. Accidents can happen. But we have to move on.”