Villagers from nearby areas were the first to reach the scene of Sunday’s deadly train accident in Pukhrayan as dazed survivors struggled to get out of mangled coaches and look for missing family members.
The survivors of India’s worst train accident in six years that killed 129 people saw generosity and opportunism in equal measure.
“While some of the villagers rescued passengers from the derailed and damaged coaches, others snatched valuables from the injured,” said Shyamlal Singh, who was on board the Indore-Patna Express that derailed early Sunday morning.
Ruchi Gupta, a 20-year-old from Mau in Uttar Pradesh, couldn’t find her clothes or jewellery as she frantically looked for her father. She broke an arm and her sisters and brothers were hospitalised with severe injuries. The family was on way to Mau for her December 1 wedding.
