Daily News

Jhargram (WB): The driver of the Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari Express, which derailed in West Midnapore on Friday morning, filed an FIR in the Jhargram police station on Saturday.

However, the FIR does not mention about the Maoists or any group suspected to have carried out the sabotage that caused loss of more than 100 human lives so far. The driver has stated in the FIR that he heard a loud sound which sounded like an explosion and then saw smoke coming out from the wheels of the train. Soon he figured out that a train was coming from the opposite direction. Despite his sounding an alert for the goods train, that rammed into his train.

About 100 bodies have been recovered so far as a foul stench pervaded the site of the train derailment here with hundreds of flies troubling rescue workers extricating bodies from the wrecked bogies.

To add to the miseries of the rescue workers, the cables of one of the two railway cranes lifting the engine of the goods train that rammed into two sleeper coaches of the express snapped.

The engine has to be lifted to access the worst affected S-4 and S-5 coaches, where more bodies were still believed to be trapped. The other engine of the double-headed goods train had veered away from the tracks.

Rescue workers of the railway, personnel of the Army, CRPF, CoBRA, volunteers, NCC and medical teams were at the site watched by a huge crowd from neigbouring villages.

Railway workers were also working to restore tracks which were damaged in a one kilometre stretch as also the overhead traction.

Family members of passengers still unaccounted for were also at the scene. They have been camping in tents overnight put up by the administration. Food was being provided to them by the Railways, which some complained were inadequate.