Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Apr 29: With the exemplary presence of mind displayed by a woman and her son-in-law, and also the timely support extended by people living next to the railway tracks where an air-conditioned coach of Nizamuddin Express moving towards Ernakulam from New Delhi near Bijoor, Kundapur, had caught fire, a catastrophe in the making was averted.

Jalajakshi Manohar Rai from Tingalady in Puttur taluk and her son-in-law, Nischal Shetty, succeeded in saving lives and belongings of the passengers by awakening them out of their deep slumber on sighting fire in an air-conditioned compartment of the train.

Jalajakshi had gone to Mumbai on February 27 this year to help her daughter living there to look after her baby. On the night of April 27, she boarded Nizamuddin Express train to go back to her home. She was accompanied by her daughter, Akshata, son-in-law, Nischal Shetty, and the couple's eight-month-old baby. Their seats were booked in B-4 compartment of the said train.

Jalajakshi said she was lying on the upper berth near the toilet of the compartment but was unable to sleep. When she sighted smoke emanating from the toilet side, she got up and smelt something burning. Not knowing what to do, she shouted at her daughter and woke her up. She also got panicky and awaked the others in the compartment by shouting fire, danger. Her son-in-law pulled the chain and stopped the train immediately following which they jumped out of the train.

Jalajakshi said that the family had undertaken visit to native place due to series of holidays ending with May 1. The train had begun its journey from Mumbai about three hours late. It reached Mangaluru the next morning. All their bags were blacked with thick smoke and Jalajakshi feels that providence saved them and the child from this fearful incident.

Nischal said that immediately after the train stopped about two km away from Bijoor station, people of the two houses located nearby came running and switched their pump sets on. They began to douse the flames with the help of pipes. The train stopped for two hours there before undertaking onward journey, he stated. He feels that the entire compartment would have been on fire and a large-scale tragedy would have happened if there was a delay of a few minutes. He recollects that all the 72 berths in the compartment were full.