This Article is From Jul 19, 2010

Bengal train accident: Passengers share the horror

Bengal train accident: Passengers share the horror
Siuri, West Bengal: In the Surgical Ward of the Siuri General hospital, Chottu Kumar sits, waiting for help.  His forehead is bandaged . The  8-year-old  was on his way to Dhanbad with his family when he was thrown from his berth on the Vananchal train.

 "We were returning after our sister's wedding. Everybody was asleep. I was lying down, but awake. The train derailed and started shaking. We all fell on the floor. We all could walk, so we came to the hospital on our own. My father could not walk, so an ambulance brought him here, his wounds were stitched up, and now he is here."

At the morgue,  doctors struggle to conduct post-mortem examinations on the bodies that are placed in a long line. Angry relatives surround the doctors, asking for explanations.

Sanjay Kumar Naik has lost four members of his family. He's lucky, he was not on the train. "I just want to take the bodies and leave," he says, breaking down.

Of the nearly 90 people brought to the Siuri hospital, most have head injuries, and some of them are critical

Social workers and villagers in the area escorted some passengers who needed help.  Those who need urgent medical attention are tagged with red ribbons on their wrists , so that doctors can immediately attend to them.

Doctors at the hospital are trying their best to cope with the deluge of patients. Basic medicines and first aid was available, and a team of doctors from a nearby army base was also rushed in to help.
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