Madurai train fire: Grief-stricken family members of UP victims share ordeal

Every morning his father would call him to update about the progress of his pilgrimage, but on Saturday Alok Singh was left shattered after receiving a call from an official.

Shatru Daman Singh (65), Alok's father and a local jaggery businessman in Sitapur, was among those who died in a fire incident in a train compartment in Tamil Nadu's Madurai which killed nine pilgrims and injured 20 others, officials said.

A gas cylinder "illegally" taken inside the coach led to the blaze in the early hours of Saturday, they said.

"My parents had gone for the pilgrimage on August 17. They were with a group of eight elderly people," Alok Singh said. Alok's mother was also injured in the fire and has been hospitalised.

"My father used to be the first to call me daily in the morning and update me about the journey. Today, I got a call from some officials, who informed me about his death. We are worried about the health of our mother, who has been injured in the accident," said Alok Singh.

His parents were among the eight people from Adarsh Colony in Sitapur who went on the pilgrimage to Rameswaram. Mithilesh Singh (55), a resident of the same colony, also succumbed to her injuries in the fire.

"My father was the first to plan the pilgrimage. Other elderly people of the locality also expressed their desire to go with him. He even booked the tickets for all of them," Alok added.

He said that the woman killed in the accident was also a relative.

Manoj Agarwal, a resident of Lucknow, was inconsolable after he lost both his mother Manorama Agarwal (80) and daughter Himani Bansal (22) in the incident.

"I had last spoken to them at 7 pm on Friday. My mother's phone was switched off since morning. So I tried my daughter's phone and a policeman picked it up and told me about the accident. I could not reach the tour operator on the phone either," Manoj said.

"Around 12 noon, we came to know that their bodies are in the hospital," he said.

Preeti Agarwal, the grief-stricken mother of Himani, said, "For the first time my daughter went for such a trip and now she will never return. I am all alone now."

"It was the Railway's negligence. They should have checked. I have travelled with IRCTC four times but never faced any problems. I have no idea what arrangements they had made this time," Preeti said.

"Now we won't be able to celebrate any festivals. Her brother would now be alone for Raksha Bandhan," she added.

Himani's brother Shivam Agarwal said she was good in academics and was looking for a job.

The news of the accident has caused grief in Sitapur's Adarsh Colony, located around 80 kilometers north of state capital Lucknow, where two of its residents were killed and six injured.

A total of nine people from Sitapur were on the pilgrimage from August 17 to August 30.

Officials said Susheela Singh, Shivpratap Singh, Ashok Prajapati, Alka Prajapati and Neeraj Shukla and his wife Sarojini were among the injured from Adarsh Nagar colony. Anand Prakash Tripathi, from Shashtri Nagar of Sitapur, was the ninth pilgrim from the city.

Sarvan Shukla, the nephew of injured victim Neeraj Shukla, said his uncle and aunt were going for a holy trip along with other members from the locality.

"The group visited Tirupati Balaji on Friday and were to reach Rameshwaram on Saturday, but the tragedy struck before their return," he added.

The family members of the injured said the treatment of their relatives was going at Madurai's Rajaji Medical Hospital.

Sitapur Additional District Magistrate RB Tiwari visited Adarsh Nagar in the afternoon and met with the kin of those killed and injured in the incident. The officer assured the family members of every kind of support.

Shanti Devi (70), a native of the neighbouring district of Lakhimpur Kheri, is reported "missing" after the fire incident.

Devi had went on the pilgrimage along with her husband Ram Manohar, a retired government employee, and a nephew named Harsh.

Her youngest son Neeraj told PTI over phone that Ram Manohar, his father, rang him soon after the accident. He added that his family members were in shock since early this morning when his father called to inform them about the fire.