Rescue operations at rail accident site complete

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the site of Sunday's train accident which claimed over a hundred lives and left more than 400 people injured. The Railways, however, claimed that only 82 people were killed and 250 people injured in the disaster near Champa, Bilaspur, Madhya Pradesh.

The accident site presented a gory scene with bodies and baggage lying scattered around the wreckage. The engine and five bogies of the 8033 Down Ahmedabad-Howrah Express tumbled down from the bridge onto the rocky banks of the Hansdeo river.

Loud wails rent the air as the victims's relatives began to search for them through the mass of bodies. Some of the injured were seen writhing in pain at the local hospitals. With arms and legs enclosed in plaster and heads heavily bandaged, they presented a sorry sight.

Officials said the rescue operations have almost been completed and the mangled coaches removed from the river bank. Fortynine of those killed in the accident have been identified and the bodies handed over to their relatives. The remaining bodies are being kept in the mortuary of the Raipur medical college hospital; the bodies have been photographed and video filmed so that their relatives can identify the bodies.

Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Shailendra Srivastav told United News of India that immediate financial relief is being disbursed to the families of the dead and survivors. Traffic on the rail section had been restored and the mangled coaches are being searched thoroughly to ensure that no more bodies are trapped inside.

Photographs courtesy: Star News