Gory scenes including blood, headless bodies, severed hands, and limbs were all that the rescue teams from NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Services had to encounter while undertaking one of the most critical rescue operations in recent times following the horrific train mishap at Bahanaga in Balasore that killed 288 passengers on the evening of June 2.
The accident was so gut-wrenching that the rescuers had to collect different body parts from the spot. The rescue team included hundreds of trainee jawans from Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy in Bhubaneswar, who never saw deaths of such a magnitude. The rescue operation tested their mental strength.
A firefighter, Ananda Patra said, “The scenes of that night when we reached the accident spot still haunt me. Even last night I dreamt of a lady’s body which did not have limbs below her torso. I could not sleep the whole night.”
Another firefighter said, “I cannot go into the dark now. The horrific scenes of that night makes me weary of the darkness. I can even smell the blood and see the headless bodies in my sleep. I am sleeping with lights on in the night.”
Former Fire Officer, Rasa Bihari Mohanty said, “These things get stuck in our minds which makes us uneasy later. This is an occupational hazard. We have to deal with it. So, these people need counselling after such a horrific mission.”
“If the rescuers are seeing flashbacks of blood, severed head and limbs on a regular basis and are getting unusually anxious, then it can be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” said Psychiatrist, Suvendu Narayan Mishra.
“If they are diagnosed with PTSD then they need to get immediate medical counselling,” Mishra added.