'Suddenly, I Spotted A Hand': Bengal Man Finds 24-Year-Old 'Dead' Son Alive After Odisha Train Accident

New Delhi: A West Bengal man travelled 235 kilometre to Odisha's Balasore to recover his son alive from a makeshift morgue where he was kept with the bodies of those killed in the triple train accident on June 2. After pulling out his 24-year-old son Biswajit from the morgue at Bahanaga High School, Howrah resident Helaram Mallik rushed to the Balasore Hospital before bringing him to a hospital in Kolkata. His son reportedly suffered multiple bone injuries in his limbs and underwent two surgeries at the trauma care unit of SSKM Hospital.

"I saw the news on TV and then realised that I must call Biswajit to find out if he was okay. He did not initially pick up the calls and then when he did, I could hear a feeble voice on the other side," Helaram, who runs a kirana shop in Howrah, was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

On the night of June 2, he and his brother-in-law left for Balasore in an ambulance.

"We could not find him as calls to his mobile went unanswered. We visited different hospitals but Biswajit was nowhere. We then went to a makeshift morgue at Bahanaga High School but were denied entry initially. Suddenly, there was an altercation among a few people followed by a commotion. Suddenly, I spotted a hand and knew it was my son's. He was alive," Helaram added.

Without wasting a moment, he then took his 'almost unresponsive' son to Balasore Hospital where he was administered a few injections and then referred to Cuttack Medical College and Hospital.

"I feel I got a new life. I owe it to my father. He is God to me and because of him, I have got back this life again. Baba is everything to me," Biswajit told the news agency PTI from the hospital bed.

Asked why people mistook him as 'dead', a doctor at SSKM Hospital said Biswajit might have gone into 'suspended animation' -- a state of slowing down biological functions -- leading people to think that he was dead.

It is notable that the Coromandel Express, in which Biswajit was travelling, crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches around 7 pm on June 2. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time. A goods train was also involved in the crash.

Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure, and other possible causes behind the three-train crash in which, 288 people have died so far and over 1,100 were injured.

Over 1,000 human lives saved by Odisha people in Balasore train accident: CM Naveen Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday claimed that the people of the state have saved over 1,000 human lives in the Balasore train crash as they swung into action immediately after the accident. After the tragic crash, several local people were seen assisting in rescue operations. Long queues were also seen for blood donation at various hospitals. 

After observing one-minute silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragedy, Patnaik said the efforts of locals have manifested the compassion and humanity of the people of Odisha.

"Doctors, medical students, the general public, and all had one thing in mind - Let's save life as many as we can. And we have saved more than a thousand lives. People providing support to rescue operations and the long queues for blood donation are sights rare but invaluable. I am proud of my people. I am proud of Odisha," he said.

"It's a time of immense grief and sorrow. But, this accident has proved the strength of Odisha, its ability to rise to the expectation during the time of crisis," Patnaik added.