Chhattisgarh train collision: With parents dead, relatives of toddler who survived worried about his future

Archana Yadav sounded overwhelmed while talking over the phone. As she sobbed and spoke, the cries of a toddler and the commotion of a hospital corridor muffled her voice. She was waiting for the CT scan report of her nephew Rishi.

Rishi, around two years old, survived but lost his parents and grandmother in Tuesday’s train accident in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur.

Also read: Death toll rises to 11 in Chhattisgarh train accident

His parents, Arjun Yadav and Shila, and his maternal grandmother, Manwati, were among the 11 people killed in the accident. His photographs were shared on social media, helping the family trace him a few hours after the tragedy.

“Life can change in an instant,” said Ms. Yadav. “I spoke to Arjun an hour before the accident. He was returning with his family from Champa where he had gone to a hospital for treatment. He told me he was still on the train and was just a few kilometres short of Bilaspur. We expected him to return soon but that wasn’t to be,” she said.

Ms. Yadav was worried about Rishi’s health who sustained injuries on his head and legs. “I hope there is nothing major in the scan report,” she said.

But the future bothers her. She is concerned about her nephew’s upbringing, as Arjun, an autorickshaw driver, was a man of modest means, and his death will saddle their elder brother Ajay with more responsibilities. The Indian Railways has announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, and the State government has promised ₹5 lakh.

In Bilaspur, Mr. Ajay was waiting for the dead bodies. ”This is extremely tragic, and negligence has caused such a big accident,” he told journalists. He said the entire family has fallen apart after the accident and urged the government to provide assistance.

Gopi Vastrakar, the son of Pramila Vastrakar, who was on the ill-fated train, said his mother was visiting his elder sister in Bilaspur after a long gap.

Avinash Marble, the relative of another deceased Ranjit Prabhakar from Champa, said Ranjit — a labour contractor who is survived by his wife and son — was travelling to see off a batch of labourers on another train and was scheduled to return late in the same evening. Like the other victims, he did not.