At least a dozen rail passengers who sustained serious injuries in Friday’s Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express accident at the Bachrawan station in Rae Bareli district are fighting for their lives at the King George Medical University’s trauma centre here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, rail traffic in the Lucknow-Varanasi section was restored early on Saturday morning after railwaymen were able to restore the damaged track at the Bachrawan station.
There are still three dozen passengers in the KGMU trauma centre where all seriously injured passengers are being treated. Following the derailment, passengers were thrown off their berths, leading to fractures in legs, hands, shoulder and ribs besides head injuries, the doctors said. The accident has so far claimed 38 lives.
A day after the accident, affected passengers and their family members are still trying to come to terms with the tragedy. There are reports of some families suffering major losses. A family of Kathak dancers from Rae Bareli lost three artists, including a father-son duo, while another young member of the family is still fighting for his life in the trauma centre. Similarly, a family lost its two young sons, while a young couple lost its only child.
Though railway officials are taking care of the medical expenses, people have complained about lack of information on the helplines opened after the accident.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who represents Rae Bareli in Lok Sabha, met injured passengers at the trauma centre on Saturday evening and wished them speedy recovery.
