Ajit Mandal, 39, of Jalpaiguri, boarded the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express at NJP with his wife and son on Monday.

They were to go to Malda to attend a family wedding, but fate had other plans.

Speaking to the media hours after the devastating accident that has already claimed nine lives, Ajit said that till the moment of reckoning, everything was normal. Once the train left NJP, Ajit bought tea for him and his wife and chips for his son.

“We were in the third-from-last compartment and enjoying snacks while travelling in this rainy weather,” he said.

“Suddenly, we felt a big thud. Then, there was total darkness. I lost consciousness,” he added.

When Ajit regained consciousness, he realised their train had an accident. “My first thought was: Where are my wife and son.”

He thanked his stars that all three of them could crawl out of the coach with the help of villagers.

He learned that his train had been hit by a freight train at Chhoto Nirmaljote near Siliguri. The Kanchenjunga Express was travelling from Assam’s Agartala to Sealdah in Calcutta when the collision occurred. At least three of the passenger train’s compartments were derailed.

Hundreds of people tried to save passengers trapped in the mangled train cars, one of which was left jutting into the air at a steep angle.

“It is an experience of seeing death up close,” said Ajit. “We saw people bathed in blood inside our compartment. It was a very horrifying situation for my 12-year-old son.”

Ajit said his son’s head had banged against the coach in the jolt.

“I know we are luckier than many of our co-passengers. What happened was shocking,” he added.

Gopal Ghosh, 36, in Ajit’s compartment, also had a narrow escape.

Gopal, from Ranidanga near Siliguri, was going to Calcutta with wife and son. His son was severely injured, said Gopal, weeping. His wife is also admitted to Siliguri’s North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

“Our train wasn’t running at the time of the collision. Otherwise, the accident
would have been more terrible. Our compartment was smashed up. We were unconscious for a while. When I stirred again, I saw my gold chain and wallet were gone,” he said.