The survivors of the Sabarmati Express mishap arrived in Ahmedabad in two trains on Thursday afternoon.

At least 17 people were killed and over 80 injured when the Sabarmati Express collided with a stationary goods train at Samlaya in Vadodra district of Gujarat early on Thursday morning.

Also see: 17 dead in Sabarmati Express mishap

Narrating heart-rending stories, the passengers said they would now have to live with the terrible experience all their lives.

Mohammed Akhtar, who was among the first to arrive in Ahmedabad by the Dhanbad-Ahmedabad Holiday Express, said the sight of a 12-year-old crying by the the headless body of his mother will haunt him forever.

Akhtar was in the S-9 coach of the Sabarmati Express. "I heard a loud bang. Next moment, we were thrown off our berths," he recalled.

Also see: Human error caused mishap -- Railways

Akhtar with great difficulty managed to climb out of the bogey. He helped rescue some passengers as people from some nearby villagers arrived with help.

"I can never forget the boy crying by his mother's body. The boy had identifed his mother by her clothes," Akhtar said.

Rakesh, another passenger in S-9 bogey, said the boy had asked them to help him retrieve his mother from the mangled remains of the bogey. "He also attempted to climb the bogie to reach his mother, but some of the passengers prevented him from doing so," Rakesh said.

Lal Mansingh, who was travelling in S-6 coach, said the locals were the first to arrive with help. "About 400-500 people came to help us. They brought ladders with them."

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Many passengers said railway rescue teams reached the spot three hours after the accident. "Once they were there, the rescue operation picked up speed," said a passenger.

A large number of the passengers were on their way to Ahmedabad to take the Railway Recruitment Board Exam.

Ishwar Prasad, who boarded the train at Varanasi with his friends, said there were about 300-400 people in the train travelling to Ahmedabad for the exam.

Rajesh Singh, one such student in the S-9 coach said: "I was rescued after rescue teams cut open my coach. The doors had got jammed...they used gas-cutters."