WhatsApp message helped identify toddler who survived Chhattisgarh train crash

The family had been in the first coach, which took the full impact of the accident.

“After the two-year-old was rescued, authorities couldn’t identify him,” said Sonu, a friend of Arjun’s. “It was after his photo was circulated on several WhatsApp groups that his aunt recognised him. I also saw the photo on one such group and alerted the family.”

The family had gone to Champa city in neighbouring Janjgir-Champa to consult a doctor for Arjun, an autorickshaw driver in his 30s. Arjun was reluctant to make the hour-long, but his family insisted that the health problem he had was serious.

“His wife and mother-in-law went with him to support him,” said his friend Nitesh Vastrakar.

While Arjun and his mother-in-law suffered fatal head and face injuries, it’s unclear what injuries Shila sustained. He is survived by his toddler son, mother and two siblings.

His brother Ajay was inconsolable. “My nephew has lost both his parents. My mother is unwell, and I haven’t informed her of the tragedy, fearing for her life,” he said.

The Indian Railways has announced ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for victim families, Rs 5 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries. Additionally, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.