Kanpur train tragedy: Families in MP break into tears as bodies arrive

A pall of gloom descended over Indore on Monday as bodies of those killed in Sunday’s train accident in Uttar Pradesh are being brought for their last rites.

A pall of gloom descended over Indore on Monday as bodies of those killed in Sunday’s train accident in Uttar Pradesh are being brought for their last rites.

Bodies of Gita Singh and her daughter Ragini Singh being taken for cremation in Bhopal on Monday. (Mujeeb Faruqui/HT photo)

Bodies of 62-year-old Doodh Nath Sharma, a resident of Kaushalya Puri, and 24-year-old Rajkal, a resident of Sunder Nagar, were brought on Monday.

So far 15 passengers, who either belong to Indore or visited Indore, have been identified. As per the sources, bodies of 120 passengers of Indore-Patna Express train have already identified.

Some collapsed on seeing bodies and neigbourers and relatives had a hard time trying to comfort them.

Sharma’s family said he left Indore on Saturday for Akhbarpur to attend weddings on November 22 and 26.

His younger brother Amaranth said, “As soon as we came to know about the accident, we attempted to contact Doodh Nath on his phone. Later, we moved to Indore railway station to get information about my brother’s whereabouts.”

“Failed to get any information, four of my family members decided to leave for the accident spot. We managed to trace body of my brother after a search of two hours as many of the bodies are badly mutilated,” Amarnath said.

At Sunder Nagar, as soon as body of Rajkala arrived to her resident, all her family members broke into tears.

Her father Pyarelal Dhiman said he along with Rajkala, his wife Kesar, sister Seetabai and 12-year-old nephew Dipesh, were travelling to Faizabad to attend a wedding on Monday. “I have no words to express my grief,” Dihman said.

Dhiman, who was evacuated from debris after four hours, said Rajkala was trapped between door panels.

He said his wife and sister got minor injuries, while his nephew escaped unhurt in the accident.

Official toll in Sunday’s accident rose to 146 on Monday as 25 more bodies were pulled out of mangled coaches.

The accident took place when the train’s 14 coaches went off the rails near Pukhrayan rail station in Uttar Pradesh.

Few approach help desk at Indore rly station

Situation at Indore railway station remained calm on Monday as only five family members of missing passengers visited it to get information.

A team of railway officials, including senior public relation officer Jitendra Kumar Jayant, are managing the help desk to provide information to anxious relatives. Jayant told HT that most of the victims’ relatives have already reached Kanpur. “We are in touch with railway and hospital administrations there and releasing list of death and injured passengers in every second hour.”

Remains of 3 armymen found

Bodies of three young army officers — Capt Suvendu Kumar Mishra of the 23 Parachute Regiment, Lt Sandeep Kumar Chahar of 12 Madras and Lt Narendra Kumar of 25 Grenadiers — were located.

The officers, on completion of their Young Officers’ Course at Infantry School Mhow, were returning to their respective units.

Their bodies have been shifted to an air force hospital mortuary for embalming and transportation to respective home towns.