Last Updated: June 06, 2023, 14:35 IST
On August 2, 1999, two trains with hundreds of people on board collided at the Gaisal Station in West Bengal, killing over 280 people. (Photo: News18)
On August 2, 1999, two trains with hundreds of people on board collided at the Gaisal Station in West Bengal, killing over 280 people
Pintu Roy, a resident of West Bengal’s Siliguri and convener of Siliguri Volunteer Blood Donors Association, was reminded of the tragic 1999 Gaisal train accident in North Dinajpur district when the news of the Balasore tragedy in Odisha broke out.
On August 2, 1999, two trains with hundreds of people on board collided at the Gaisal Station in West Bengal, killing over 280 people. The horrific visuals of the Balasore accident that took place last Friday brought back the haunting memories of Gaisal incident for Pintu Roy.
Pintu Roy, working as a freelance photographer at the time, was one of the first responders to rush to the scene with his friend.
The scene were similar to what we saw after the recent Balasore tragedy, with bodies and belongings scattered everywhere.
“The horror of that incident [Gaisal] cannot be expressed in words. A train went over another train the upper compartment caught fire. Many were burnt to death.” Pintu said.
A total 278 people lost their lives in a crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train that occurred around 7 PM on Friday, June 2, near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district.
