Muzzafarnagar accident: Passengers rescued injured before help reached

The passengers of the derailed Puri-Haridwar-Kalinga Utkal Express rescued injured passengers till the government help arrived.

Ram Prakash, who was travelling in the S7 coach, told ANI that after the accident passengers of the train started rescuing other injured passengers.

His wife was injured and is being treated in the Muzzafarnagar Medical College and Hospital.

Ramnivas Pachuri, whose daughter died in the accident, told ANI, "My sister, brother-in-law and my daughter were going from Agra to Haridwar for taking bath in the Ganga. My daughter died in the accident."

Chief Medical Officer of the hospital said, "Around 53 train passengers have been admitted in the hospital. Critical patients have been referred to Meerut Medical College."

Rabi Narayan Naik, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Odisha visited hospital to see the injured patients from his home state.

He said that after meeting with various injured passengers in the hospital I can say that injured are being provided good treatment and doctors are attending patients twice or thrice.

"Majority of patients have suffered spinal injuries and would be required to stay for a prolonged time in the hospital," Naik said.

Fourteen coaches of Puri-Haridwar-Kalinga Utkal Express derailed in Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli area on Saturday evening in which 23 people have lost their lives till now and 40 are said to be injured.

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced an ex gratia of Rs 3.5 lakh for the kin of those who have been killed, Rs. 50 thousand for those who are seriously injured and Rs. 25 thousand for people with minor injured passengers of Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced compensation of Rs five lakh to the next kin of Odia passengers who lost their lives in the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailment tragedy.