Humanism was on its full display when villagers living close to the rail accident site at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district on Friday evening, turned good Samaritans with gusto, becoming the first to reach the spot. They carried out the rescue operation immediately saving many passengers and helping the injured reach hospitals by spending money from their own pocket.
As soon as the accident happened, they didn’t waste a minute. They climbed into the mangled coaches of Coromandel Express immediately to rescue the passengers amid pitch darkness. As no security staff, rescue personnel, and ambulances could reach the spot immediately, hundreds of locals in the area provided water to the passengers.
Amid the heart-wrenching scenes, many valuable lives could be saved due to the humanitarian acts of hundreds of local people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and many other leaders heaped praise on them for their timely humanitarian acts.
Sharing his experience about the rescue operation amid heart-wrenching screams of the passengers, local youth from Bahanaga said, “When we heard the deafening sound, we rushed to the spot immediately and saw the horrific accident. Several bodies were strewn on the track and other passengers were screaming for help. Without wasting any time, we carried out the rescue operation immediately amid pitch dark. Many lives could be saved due to the immediate rescue operation by hundreds of local people.”
“It was smoke and dust all around and passengers were crying for help. Without wasting a moment, we climbed atop the coaches and rescued the stuck passengers,” said another local youth.
Another youth identified as Ajay Kumar Mallick, who works in the pantry car nearby the railway station, also rushed to the spot to carry out the rescue operation. He rescued many passengers from the accident spot. However, he was not able to rescue two of his colleagues inside the pantry car and they lost their lives.
“Administration reached the spot two hours after the accident. Unfortunately, two of my colleagues lost their lives and another friend was seriously injured in the accident,” said Mallick.
Meanwhile, people voluntarily queued up at the Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital to donate blood for the injured. The video of the incident has reportedly gone viral over various social media platforms.
“When we heard about the horrific accident, we voluntarily came to donate blood to save the lives of the victims,” said a blood donor.
“If by giving blood, we can save others' lives, then it’s a noble act. I urge the youth to come in large numbers to donate blood for the accident victims,” said another blood donor.
Though the situation is gradually limping back to normalcy, the local people, who turned saviours for hundreds of passengers, can never forget the horrific experience and their humanitarian act.