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Early help could have saved more lives: Locals

Last Updated 21 October 2009, 11:14 IST
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Five youths residing in Vikas Nagar, where Delhi-bound Goa Express rammed into stationary Mewar Express killing 22 people, were the first to reach the mishap spot and two of them sustained injuries while trying to rescue passengers.

"I heard a big sound and rushed to the spot. I along with four friends pulled out at least five-six dead bodies and some other injured. There was complete darkness and we used mobile phone lights to go through the bogies," said Ganpat Singh, who lives 100 metres away from the accident spot.

"Had the ambulance and administration officials arrived early, at least four-five people would not have succumbed to their injuries," alleged Singh. He claimed that the ambulances reached the spot 40 minutes after the incident.

Sushil Kumar Azad, who along with Singh was among the first to reach the spot, said the doors of the trains were closed from inside. "We brought a stone-cutting machine and cut the door of the last bogey to enter," he said echoing Singh's views that if ambulances would have come on time, more lives could have been saved.

The five friends then carried the five people to a nearby road and hired an auto-rickshaw to rush them to a hospital which was two kilometres away. Two of them, Ravi Kumar and Ravi Pandit, sustained minor injuries during rescue operations.

"It was difficult to take them out. I saw a child crying, uncle, save me. I cannot forget the child's face. He had lost her mother in the accident," Kumar said. Pandit said first they called ambulance. "Later, six armymen came and rescued some others," he added.

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(Published 21 October 2009, 11:00 IST)

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