A planned trip to the Taj Mahal turned into a nightmare for 52-year-old Sandhya Mandal from West Bengal who suffered serious injuries in the derailment of the Sealdah-Ajmer express here today.
Mandal, one of 50 passengers who were injured when 15 coaches of the train derailed near Rura Railway Station in Kanpur Rural district, has been admitted to the emergency ward of Hallet Hospital here.
It is a similar story for 54-year-old government employee Raj Kishan Ojha, who was planning to visit Mount Abu with his family, but has now been admitted with a serious head wound in the hospital associated with GSVM Medical College, Kanpur.
The victims claimed that for more an hour after the early morning mishap, there was no sign of help from railway authorities, with passengers left to their own means.
"After waiting fruitlessly for rail officials we ourselves tried to get fellow injured passengers off the train. After getting out though, it was another long wait for the ambulances which arrived only at 7 AM," says Arindam Mondal, one of the relatives travelling with Sandhya.
Ojha's daughter Rupali, who escaped without injuries, also expressed disappointment over the response of the police and administration. "We got out of the coach with the help of passengers, but there was no sign of police or ambulance services for over an hour after that," she says.
"Most of the patients admitted to Hallet hospital have serious head injuries," GVSM Medical College principal Navneet Kumar said.
Among them is a girl of six, Shreya, who was scheduled to be operated upon.
On the directions of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, free CT scans and medicines have been provided for all the injured passengers.
A 10-member team of doctors is constantly monitoring them.
Meanhwile, those with less serious injures have been admitted to a district hospital in Kanpur Rural.
The accident took place near Rura Railway Station at around 5:30 AM, 70 km from here, when the train was crossing a bridge over a dry canal in the area.
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