The National Disaster Response Force rushed to Khatauli on watching television news flash about 14 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express derailing there on Saturday evening.
NDRF chief Sanjay Kumar told The Hindu that two teams, stationed at Ghaziabad, reached Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh an hour-and-a-half after the accident that took place at 5.46 p.m.
The NDRF is a central police force trained for rescue and relief operations during natural disasters and accidents.
Timely action
“We received neither a message from anyone nor a request for NDRF teams ... it was a suo motu decision when we saw the news flash. Our teams in Ghaziabad, which are always ready to move, rushed to the site. When we saw on television that more than six coaches had derailed, we sent two more teams,” Mr. Kumar said.
He said “local leaders” and NGOs who visited the site were impeding the rescue. “Though we are equipped with the best of machinery for rescue, so many other agencies are working at the site. So coordination is a huge challenge, for everyone wants to take credit. Local leaders and NGOs come under the pretext of extending help… We are restraining them to the extent possible so as to carry on the operation without hindrance.”
Rescue mission
Mr. Kumar said the NDRF had pulled out 20 bodies from the overturned coaches and rescued 100 injured passengers. “We have called off the operation as there was no chance of finding any more survivors. Our dog squads ensured no people was buried alive under the mangled coaches,” he said.
Railway officials brought in a crane to clear the damaged coaches off the railway track.
