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Sunday, Oct 30, 2005

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Suddenly, there was water in the compartment and it kept rising

Our Staff Reporter

Many passengers shuddered to recall the harrowing experience

HYDERABAD: Most passengers on the Repalle-Secunderabad Delta Fast Passenger were asleep when the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Saturday. They were rudely wakened as the floodwaters gushed into the compartments.

"I don't know how it all happened. I was in the fourth coach from the engine. Suddenly there was water in the compartment and it kept rising. I just caught hold of the fan on the roof and kept my head high," said Venkateshwara Rao, a resident of Guntur. He received injuries on his left arm and chest. His elder brother, Veeranarayana, who was also in the same compartment was injured in the head and leg.

They were among the 15 injured passengers who were shifted to the Railway Hospital at Lalaguda here. Gopi Narsiah (36), a pastor of Khanpur in Adilabad district, believes he was saved because of his prayers. He got up at 4 a.m. and was reading the Bible before the accident occurred. "The entire coach was flooded. It is a miracle that I escaped with minor injuries," he said from the hospital bed.

Many passengers shuddered to recall the harrowing experience. Koteshwara Rao, a security guard at Idea Cellular, said as the train derailed the water submerged the compartments. "I was in water up to my neck. Somehow I held on to the upper berth and managed to float above water. There was total darkness. Luckily, a passenger had a cell phone with a torch and with its tiny beam we came out of the compartment. We also rescued five other passengers," Mr. Rao said. He didn't know what happened to his luggage. "I am glad to be alive."

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasehkhara Reddy accompanied by Union Minister of State for Railways R. Velu, and PCC president K. Keshav Rao visited the Railway hospital. He spent time with the injured passengers and enquired about their health. Later speaking to presspersons, Mr. Velu said an ex-gratia of Rs. 1 lakh would be paid to each of the deceased and Rs. 15,000 to the injured passengers.

Quirk of fate

Guntur Staff Reporter reports:

Samuel, driver of the passenger train that met with an accident, was originally not scheduled to be on duty. He opted to be in charge of the train as his friend David took leave to be with his family in Guntur on Friday.

Mr. David cried inconsolably at a room in the station here on Saturday feeling guilty that his leave had caused Samuel to court death.

A driver with the Guntur railway headquarters, Samuel was a resident of Bobbapuram in Donakonda mandal of Prakasam district, Mr. David told The Hindu .

The 53-year-old senior driver was sent on duty as Mr. David took leave to participate in `Derala Pandaga'. The engine fell on its side in the channel and Samuel was drowned along with it.

Guntur Divisional Operations Manager Sarjan Rao said that Assistant Driver Sreenivasa Rao survived as he was on the other side of the engine that remained above water.

"Samuel was a very kind person who obliged anyone seeking help," said Mr. David. Survived by wife, two sons and a daughter, he used to commute to Guntur as Donakonda is close to Vinukonda in Guntur district. Railway officials and staff were in a state of shock and not in a position to comment on the accident. The train drivers thought that the railway track was present under a sheet of water, while the entire concrete slab of a culvert had got washed away completely.

Running staff at the Guntur station said that Samuel had a good track record and was most dependable person in the division.

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