It was a little over 2.20 am when 34-year-old Mehul Bhanushali woke up to the shrieks of passengers of S3 coach. As the commotion escalated, Mehul and his friend of two decades Dev Shankar Upadhaya (48) pulled the chain in S4 coach. Merul, who was occupying the middle seat, managed to jump out of the train when it stopped after travelling for over a kilometre. Upadhaya, who was on the lower berth, was left behind. “I don’t know how Upadhaya was left behind,” a shocked Mehul said. “There was smoke and people could hardly breathe. This also prevented them from escaping. Since it was cold, the windows and doors were shut and the smoke choked everyone. When the train stopped, many passengers escaped but my friend could not make it,” he added. Upadhaya’s was among the five bodies recovered from the compartment. “Had I stayed for two minutes in the coach I would have also choked to death,” he said.
