The lack of a co-ordinated rescue and relief effort following the passenger train derailment on the Central Railway on Sunday, led to much confusion and harassment for families of the victims and the injured as they searched for their near and dear ones.
This is probably also responsible for the claims about some passengers missing.
Most of the passengers injured and the bodies of those who died were taken to hospitals in Nagothane and Roha, urban centres nearest to the spot where the Diva-Sawantwadi train derailed at about 9.40am. But there was no one responsible to answer the questions of family members.
On Sunday night, an official at Roha hospital said 18 bodies of the train accident victims were brought there. On Monday morning, the official said eight postmortems had been conducted, but he could not say what had happened about the remaining bodies.
Another hospital staffer suggested that the other bodies had probably been shifted to another hospital as the Roha centre could not cope up with so many cases within a short time.
An official at the hospital said the staff were busy with treatment of the injured and therefore could not give details.
At the primary health centre (PHC) in Nagothane, a total 13 bodies were brought for postmortem. It seems that many of them may have been sent to Roha hospital. However, PHC officials could not give information about this.
From the information available from the two hospitals the toll in the accident stands at 31. The Central Railway has said 21 people were killed – The bodies of 13 victims were at Nagothane and eight at Roha.
Some families were searching for passengers till late on Sunday night and the institutions in Roha and Nagothane continued to receive calls.
In one of these cases, Anant Kamble from Roha, found the body of his sister in Nagothane, while his brother-in-law and a daughter were traced to Sion hospital and two other daughters to the Roha hospital late on Sunday. The family was travelling from Diva to Roha.
Clarification
The Diva-Sawantwadi passenger train derailed between Nagothane and Roha on the Central Railway on Sunday. But the report in dna mentioned that the accident occurred on the Konkan Railway. As this could affect the image of the Konkan Railway, we are issuing this clarification for the information of the general public.
Chief public relations officer, Konkan Railway
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}