It was the month of June. My summer vacations were going on. I wanted to spend my summer vacations at my maternal uncle’s house in Kolkata. My parents agreed to it and we got our reservation of 10th of June in Shatabdi Express. It was a very unlucky day for me. On this day I was saved by the grace of God through till now I have not forgotten the horrible scene.
The day we moved, I was very excited to go to my uncle’s house. We were travelling by the train. Our train was running at very high speed leaving behind all small stations. We travelled over night. It was around 5 o’clock in the morning when our compartment shook violently. We heard a load noise. Many of the passengers fell down from their seats. The time I felt a shock, I was sleeping on the upper berth. Feeling something strange I woke up suddenly. Within no time I came to know that it became a question of life and death. It all happened all of a sudden. Nobody could understand what happened. Many people jumped out of the train in confusion. My father asked me to stay with my mom. Because I fell down from my berth so my left leg got injured. With the help of my parents somehow I could manage to come out of the compartment.
When we came out, we came to know that the accident took place because of derailment. Two coaches got derailed. One of them fell down in a canal and the other was badly damaged. People were crying for help. Children were weeping loudly. Many people got severe injuries. Many persons died on the spot. There was crying and weeping all round. All the passengers were terribly shocked.
The news of the accident spread everywhere. Local people immediately started rescue operation. Some volunteers reached the site and provided relief measures to victims. An ambulance reached there to take the injured to hospital. People rushed to give first-aid to the injured. In the meantime police and railway officers also reached there. Some of the people were trying to cut the coach to take the passengers out. Some people got minor injuries. Some local persons helped the passengers providing them water, tea and something eatable. Railway authorities opened some emergency counters so that the relatives and friends of the passengers could get information about them. Due to the accident all the trains of the same route were stopped for eight hours.
After an hour it was found that the accident took place because fish plates of the track were disturbed. Seriously injured people were taken to the hospital. Despite of minor injury in my leg, my parents did whatever they could do for the injured. It was the most unfortunate day in my life. Though the time has passed but still I remember how everything was shattered in no time.