Atal Bihari’s family cannot thank their stars enough after getting out unscathed from the S2 coach of the ill-fated Coromandel Express on Friday night. Atal, a resident of Patna, was en route Chennai with his family for a post-brain surgery checkup of his elder daughter when the train met with the accident sending his bogie rolling over like a ball.
While many of his co-passengers lost their lives in the harrowing train mishap, Atal and his family which included his wife Savitri, two daughters, and a son, got out with just a few scratches.
“All the passengers who were seated near the doors at both ends of my coach were pinned in the debris after the impact. They all lost their lives, but the passengers who were in the middle of the coach were left largely unharmed,” said Atal while leaving for Chennai on a special train later.
Similarly, the family of Ezekiel Das from Goashani Nuagaon in Berhampur was lucky to not change their coach at the last minute.
Ezekiel with his family was returning home in Berhampur after attending a birthday party in Kharagpur. While he and his wife were seated in B2, his son, Jacob had his seat in B8. They were contemplating to move to B8 to their son, but remained content in B2 by keeping Jacob with them in the same coach.
They thanked God after the mishap when they saw the remains of B8, which was beyond recognition, while the B2 was still standing on the tracks.
Ezekiel’s wife, Sumitra said, “I told my husband to call our son to B2 as we had our scheduled arrival at around 12am and did not think it necessary to move to B8 for a short journey. The decision turned out to be life-saving.”
Rinulata Nayak’s heart palpitates remembering the near-death experience while returning home to Alatanga village in Pattamundai from Kolkata after completion of her training as a banker.
Her joy knew no bounds as she just landed her dream job. She was busy gossiping with her friend in the Coromandel Express when the mishap happened. Her coach turned turtle and many of her co-passengers died in the mishap. But she survived with just an injury to her leg.
“I am in shock and I do not know if I will ever be able to board a train in my life again. God saved me from a definite death,” said Rinulata with a choked voice.
Say it sheer luck or just coincidence, without it, they would have turned up dead like 278 others who lost their lives in the tragic mishap.