Odisha train accident: It was a different kind of challenge, says NDRF director general Atul Karwal

National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) teams have pulled out 44 people alive from the mangled coaches of trains and retrieved 121 bodies so far in one of its kind rescue operation, NDRF director general Atul Karwal told ET on Sunday.

"It was a different kind of challenge as the collision happened at a very high speed, all the coaches were badly mangled," Karwal said.

Karwal said the first team of NDRF reached the accident site within 70 minutes and initiated the rescue operations. "The extent of damage due to the collision was severe and the cutting tools had to be used carefully."


Nine teams of NDRF were deployed during this operation, out of which seven came from Odisha and two from West Bengal, he said. The first team to reach the site was from its regional response centre in Balasore. Other NDRF teams were rushed from Mundali in Cuttack and Kolkata.

The accident is said to have occurred between 7-7:10 pm on Friday. "We had arrangements for lights at night to carry on with the operation...light at night is always a challenge," Karwal said.

NDRF sniffer dog squad, women rescuers and medical teams were also present on the spot with stretchers and first-aid kits.

"One of the most challenging tasks was to rescue passengers from vertical coaches as it was extremely difficult to reach inside," said Vardhman Mishra, operation in-charge of NDRF at Balasore. "In many coaches, the fluid inside the coaches leaked, making it challenging for us to reach inside. The bodies were damaged and we wanted to make sure that those who died in this unfortunate incident do not suffer further damages," he said.