'Train lurched, we fell off berths'

Among the survivors of the Bangalore-Ernakulum Express accident, which snuffed out nine lives and injured about two dozen passengers, were four daily wage workers from the City.

Most passengers said they were sleeping when they suddenly realised the train was tilting to one side and they fell off their berths.

Antar Singh, Mohan, Munshi Lali and Amar Singh too were in the ill-fated train. All of them, who were visiting their families in different places in Kerala, were travelling in general class coach right behind the engine.

“We were sleeping when we suddenly heard a loud noise and felt jerks in the coach. Within a minute, the train stopped. By then about four coaches had fallen off the track. We survived and took a bus back to the City,” they said heaving a sigh of relief.

A passenger in coach number D-10, B Cherian, travelling from Bengaluru to Ernakulam, said: “At 7:30 am, we realised that the bogies were tilting towards right. I fell off the berth. By the time we could come out, coach number D-8 toppled over D-9 and maximum casualties happened in D-8. Police and ambulance reached after half an hour.

More lives could have been saved had help arrived on time. About 11 coaches from the third coach after the engine were affected due to the sudden jerk.”

Some other survivors, who reached the City, said initially they thought that the train had caught fire as there was so much smoke and dust. People could not even see anything inside the affected coaches. Local people were the first  to come to rescue people trapped inside coaches, said a survivor. Rescue teams including police, railway officials reached the spot much later.

Med test on loco pilot

To confirm whether A T Fernandes, the loco pilot of the train was drunk, his blood and urine samples have been sent for testing, Railways sources said.

Officials are investigating the cause of the accident, including reports that the driver was speeding when the nine coaches derailed.