Prompt locals pitched in for rescue operations

ARAKKONAM: A deafening noise is all Murugesan of Chitteri remembers before springing to action minutes later on Tuesday night.  He, along with some friends, rushed to the site where the Chennai Beach-Vellore Cantonment mainline electrical multiple unit train rammed into the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger from behind as it was waiting for a signal at the Chitteri station, about 90 km from Chennai, and helped out several injured passengers.“I contacted my friends on the main road and organised bringing share autos to transport the injured to the Arakkonam GH,” explained a still shuddering Murugesan.Murugesan was among the numerous locals who wasted no time in helping out with the rescue operations amid heavy downpour.Help poured in from all quarters — from a nearby cement grinding factory, which pitched in with its ambulance services and its workforce, to a public sector industrial giant, which lent five gas cutter units and professionals to cut open the bogies and rescue those trapped inside.The locals arrived much before the officials from the district administration, the police and two teams of the national disaster rescue force from the CISF training centre in Thakkolam.  Soon, a medical team from the INS Rajali base, close to the accident site, joined them.Collector S Nagarajan, who spent a sleepless night organising rescue and relief operations both at the accident site and at the Arakkonam GH, said as soon as information of the accident started trickling in, various rescue teams were despatched.Multi-level management helped save the day as well. While local block development officers took charge of providing ample illumination at the site, which had no such provision, the 108 ambulance services mobilised 10 of its vehicles from Tiruvallaur, Kancheepuram and Vellore districts for the rescue operations.Nagarajan added that of the 72 admitted at the Arakkonam GH, 34 were referred to Chennai, while 17 were discharged after a few hours of treatment.  Around 20 doctors and paramedics were sent from six nearby GHs to treat the injured.Most of the train passengers, he said, appeared to be local commuters.  With the coordination of the police, led by Inspector General (IG) Sylendra Babu, railway IG Sunil Kumar, revenue officials and the locals, all the bodies were removed from the site by 3 am.