Army help saves 13 soldiers

KAURI, KHANNA, Nov 29: Quietly engaged in the rescue and relief operations at the site of rail tragedy here, some 300 jawans and officers ...

KAURI, KHANNA, Nov 29: Quietly engaged in the rescue and relief operations at the site of rail tragedy here, some 300 jawans and officers of the 103 AD regiment, succeeded in extricating 13 live soldiers from the debris since Thursday last.

At 7.30 am on November 26, the regiment received a message about the worst ever train accident and immediately Brigadier A.K. Verma dispatched a party of 70 including a medical team to the site.

On studying the ground realities8217; Colonel H.P. Singh sought more men, besides setting up of a small station with relay radio system facilities, connecting the base with rest of country especially the cantonments.At 9.30 a convoy of over 15 army vehicles comprising two junior commissioned officers JCOs and 11 other ranks pitched in their tents.

Acknowledging the help extended by the Army, Sanjay Popli, SDM Samrala looking after the relief work, said that two powerful generators installed by the Army kept the site flooded with light during the night.

At a short notice, the Army rushed three welding plants and an equal number of gas cutters to rip open some of the badly damaged 13 bogies. Brigadier Verma told The Indian Express that while assisting the civil authorities to meet the catastrophe, the Army identified the jawans 8211; injured and those killed 8211; from their identity cards. The relay radio system helped them to quickly reach army units stationed in Kashmir and as far as Imphal.

Though, it was difficult to figure out the exact number of army personnel travelling in the Sealdah and Frontier Express trains, still efforts had been made to extricate and identify as many as possible.

Major P.S.Bhatia said, 8220; We are now collecting the luggage of the jawans killed in the accident which would be passed on to their respective units for onward handing over to their kith and kin.

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The ex-gratia being paid on the spot by the Railway authorities, for the kin of the unfortunate army personnel was also be collected by the 103 AD regiment unit, for onward transmission to the families.

Said Brigadier Verma,8220;Once again we stand reassured that Indians are united like a rock when ever the occasion demands.8221; He was complimenting the human spirit seen among the villagers who came in multitudes to help out the victims.