Tragic Aftermath: Survivors Recount Horror of Chhattisgarh Train Collision That Claimed 11 Lives

Bilaspur's hospitals are overwhelmed with concerned relatives searching for their loved ones following the tragic train collision.

What started as a routine Tuesday evening transformed into one of Bilaspur's most devastating nights in recent memory. The collision between the Gevra MEMU local and a stationary freight train has resulted in eleven fatalities and more than twenty individuals suffering critical injuries. Among the debris, the mangled metal and eerie quiet convey a tragedy beyond words.

At approximately 4 pm, the MEMU local train headed toward Bilaspur station, completely unaware of the imminent danger ahead. A freight train remained stationary on the identical track.

Witnesses describe hearing the piercing sound of emergency brakes followed by a catastrophic impact.

"The entire ground trembled. People were screaming and desperately jumping from windows," recounted Budhwari Kewat, who was in proximity to the tracks when the collision occurred.

Emergency teams promptly arrived, using gas cutters to slice through the distorted coaches to reach trapped passengers. By evening, eight bodies had been recovered. Three additional victims later succumbed to their injuries while hospitalized. The women's reserved coach and the engine suffered the most severe damage, warped beyond recognition.

Chandrakant Pradhan, who survived the incident, was asleep when disaster struck. "There was a tremendous bang. I awakened to desperate cries for help, smoke, and darkness. I only remember pulling people out," he shared.

Other survivors describe the scene as otherworldly. "If the train had changed to the alternative track just seconds earlier, hundreds might have perished," a passenger remarked in the hospital hallway, with a bandaged arm and distant gaze.

Amid the catastrophe, one particularly heartbreaking story has affected Bilaspur deeply—that of 18-month-old Rishi Yadav, now orphaned. His parents, Arjun and Sheela Yadav, were among those who died in the accident. The young couple had boarded the train returning home from Janjgir-Champa after a medical appointment. Arjun, who drove an auto-rickshaw, was the family's only provider.

Rishi survived with minor injuries and is currently receiving treatment at Apollo Hospital. His grandmother also died in the crash. "He continuously cries for his mother," a nurse quietly mentioned while wiping away tears. Neighbors of the family have appealed to government officials to adopt Rishi and ensure his future.

In Deori Khurd, the Yadav family's village, grief envelops every street. The entire community has gathered, shocked and offering prayers for the young child who lost everything before learning to speak properly.

Bilaspur's hospitals are filled with relatives searching for family members, holding photographs and anxiously waiting for information. The city once familiar with train whistles now dreads their sound. Medical staff at SIMS and the Railway Hospital work tirelessly as ambulances continue arriving even a day after the collision.

Officials suspect an automatic signal failure, though the exact cause remains under investigation. The Commissioner of Railway Safety has been instructed to deliver a report promptly. Meanwhile, the crucial question remains: how did two trains end up on the same track simultaneously?

By midnight, rescuers had extracted the last trapped passengers. Railway personnel, firefighters, and local citizens worked together without rest. "We were desperately listening for voices from inside," explained one rescuer, his face marked with ash.