Odisha train tragedy: ‘My father, uncles are no more,’ says victims’ bereaved family member in Bengal

The Odisha train accident on Friday ripped many families apart and left even more families bereaved and devastated. One such family is the Gayen family from the Charanikhali village of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. Three brothers from the Gayen family—Haran Gayen (40), Nishikant Gayen (35), and Dibakar Gayen (32)—lost their lives in the horrific train accident that took place in Odisha’s Balasore.  

They were travelling back to Tamil Nadu in search of work as farm labourers in the Coromandel Express when they lost their lives due to the deadly train crash, as per a PTI report. The brothers did menial jobs for survival and lived in Tamil Nadu for most part of the year.  

As the news of their passing came, their wives fell unconscious and neighbours came along to console them. Haran Gayen’s wife Anajita is a neurological patient and her treatment is now under question, as per locals. Haran is survived by two married daughters and a son who recently started working at a local eatery.  

Haran’s son Avijit told news agency PTI: “My father, uncles are no more, our family is devastated”. Besides Haran’s wife and children, Nishilkant is survived by a daughter and son, who are both minors. Dibakar, on the other hand, is survived by his wife and two sons.  

12 people from the South 24 Parganas district have lost their lives in the Balasore train crash whereas a total of 110 people have been injured. 44 people from the district are missing and 16 have returned to their homes so far.  

Those who lost their lives include six people from the Basanti Block including the three brothers, two from Kakdwip, and one each from Joynagar-2, Baraipur, Canning-1, and Magrahat-1 blocks, as per officials. While most victims were migrant workers, the rest went to Bengaluru for medical treatment.  

The horrendous train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district which involved three trains Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train killed 288 people.  

(With agency inputs) 

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