Mumbai: Two days after the derailment of Gyaneshwari Express in West Bengal, unhurt passengers finally reached Mumbai by a special relief train late on Saturday night.
Emotions ran high as many struggled to cope with the scale of the tragedy. Many were happy to have escaped from the jaws of death.
But amidst this all was a feeling anger against the Naxals and the government. Some of the passengers said rescue work began too late.
"This happened because of negligence. Relief came only four hours after the accident," said Babubhai Patel, one of the passengers.
"Whoever is behind this should be shot-at-sight," said Rajubhai Patel, also a passenger.
A tardy government response reflected in the trauma of Madhavi Dalal's family. She stood at the station with her brother's photograph. Two days after the accident, she doesn't even know if her brother, Amir, is alive. Bogie number S3, seat number 4 is the only information she has.
"My brother is still not found. We came here to find out if any of the passengers saw him. Someone we met claims he saw my brother and that he was taken to a hospital in an ambulance," said Madhavi.
But for most lucky passengers who reached Mumbai, it was a huge sense of relief and a deep gratitude for simply being alive.
There were some at the station feeding each other sweets. After a terrifying experience, it was an emotional reunion for them, with the warmth of love and affection.