Timely aid could have saved lives

RAFIGUNJ: Thirty hours after the Rajdhani Express derailed late on Monday, rescue operations remained woefully inadequate. Except for removing one compartment hanging from the bridge over Dhawa river, no significant salvage work had been done.
Two cranes, which arrived at the accident site from the Dhanbad and Mughalsarai divisions, started functioning only after 6 pm on Tuesday, nearly 20 hours after the accident.“Berths 41 to 65 of coach AS2 still remain inaccessible,� divisional railway manager of Mughalsarai division K.K. Saxena said on Wednesday. The gas cutters were finally put to operation around 3:30 am, and the bodies started coming out at dawn.
The complete lack of planning was evident, as there was not enough equipment to cut open the bogies to rescue passengers. “If more gas cutters could have been pressed into operation, we could have saved many more lives,� a doctor attending to the injured said. Cutting open the bogies was of vital importance since all the bogies were air-conditioned and there was no scope for ventilation once the ACs were shut. “Many casualties took place due to sheer suffocation,� a doctor said.