Odisha train tragedy: Families of injured loco pilots of Coromandel train express fear, request privacy

The loco pilot of Coromandel Express and his assistant are among thousands of people who were injured in the horrific train mishap in Odisha that claimed 275 lives. 

The loco pilot has suffered a fracture in his left leg and multiple abrasions. Though he is conscious, he is still weak and disoriented. Similar is the condition of his assistant who is deemed to be critical and is in the ICU of the same hospital.

Currently undergoing treatment for severe injuries, the families of both of them are living in fear as there are several rumours blaming the loco pilot and his assistant for the train crash.

Speaking to The Hindu, their families pleaded with the media to respect their privacy, especially as they are being blamed for the tragic train crash.

However, there is no way a loco pilot can do anything in such a condition, a senior railway official was quoted as saying to The Hindu.

“The Loco pilot’s duties involve starting, stopping, and accelerating the train. There is no way that a high speed of 128 kilometers per hour, that too in the dead of the night, the loco pilot would have noticed that it was going to collide with a goods train, especially when he had received a green signal to proceed on the main line,” the official told The Hindu.

“Ideally, this operation is controlled from the section office by the signalmen, section officers, section head, and station master. The loco pilot has no control over this,” the official added.

Due to security reasons, both the loco pilot and his assistant are being treated in isolation and the hospital authorities have refrained from disclosing their whereabouts. Sources said that the hospitals they are currently undergoing treatment in will not be disclosed for security reasons.

Fortunately, the goods train drivers and the Shalimar Express are safe. Luckily, the guard of the goods train had gone for a tea break when the Coromandel Express hit it from the rear.