Coromandel driver was conscious after train crash, Goods train guard alive

The driver of the ill-fated Coromandel Express which derailed on Friday in Odisha’s Balasore killing 270 people was conscious after the crash and was in a condition to confirm that he got a green signal, the Railway Board has confirmed.

Jaya Varma Sinha, the Railway Board member of operation and business development, recalled the conversation that she had with the Coromandel driver. “He was conscious at the time. He could only say that he got a green signal. After that, his condition became serious and he is now hospitalised,” Jaya Varma Sinha said.

“The TT of the Yesvantpur told me he heard an abnormal sound coming from the back. He felt some obstruction was coming. He did not understand what it was. After the A1 coach, there were two general coaches and the guards’ coach. The last two coaches got derailed,” Jaya Varma said.

The guard of the goods train which was hit by the Coromandel Express was not inside the carriage at the time of the crash. “It is providential that his life was saved. According to railway rules, the guard and the driver of a goods train ensure the safety of the train when it is parked somewhere. So these people were outside the train and were inspecting it. They were doing their duties,” Varma said.

The Coromandel Express piled on the brake van of the goods train where the guard was supposed to be. “It is God’s grace that the guard was not there at that time,” Varma said.