Dasuya/Mukerian, December 15
Never had 50-year-old Bijuria, a labourer from Sidh district in Madhya Pradesh, imagined that the family she had brought to Mukerian to earn a better livelihood would meet such a tragic end. She lost her daughter, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

All four, along with Arun (1), her grandson, were travelling in the Jalandhar-Pathankot DMU when the tragedy struck the family.

Arun’s mother Sunaina was declared dead last evening at the Mukerian Civil Hospital. The bodies of her daughter Munnia, two-month-old grandson Munna and five-year-old grandson Rajesh were identified in the mortuaries of the Dasuya and Mukerian Civil Hospitals this morning.

Arun, who got his left foot fractured, quietly lay in the lap of Bijuria in the Mukerian Civil Hospital today. Weeping bitterly, Bijuria said: “My daughter and daughter-in-law were daily-wage earners. A contractor offered them job to crush stones on the Mirthal road. The family boarded the train at Mukerian”.

“It was late in the evening when I got the news of the accident from my neighbour. I went to the spot and I was informed that all victims were taken to hospitals. This morning we were able to trace them,” said Bijuria.

Bijuria’s son-in-law Subhai Lal today taken the possession of the bodies of his wife and children.

Another family from the same district, also associated with Bijuria’s family, lost two relatives. Santosh, another labourer, lost his father, Lal Bahadur and wife Sunita.

“I was also scheduled to travel with them to Mirthal but was called by a contractor for some work at Mukerian that morning,” he said with tears in his eyes.

“My mother, Chirojia, has been missing since yesterday. She too was travelling in the same train. My brother, Akhilesh, is undergoing treatment at the Mukerian Civil Hospital,” he added.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed today at the Mukerian Civil Hospital. Children, who were travelling with their parents, are now wailing with pain in the hospital. One such child was Baldeep Singh (14), a resident of the Ramlila ground area in Pathankot. At the hospital his neighbours and paternal aunt were attending him. His neighbours said Baldeep’s father, mother and two sisters were killed. They were cremated at Pathankot today but Baldeep was not informed about their death.

Komal was another five-year-girl child of Pathankot who lost her mother and brother. She was discharged from the hospital this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Mr Vinod Khanna, today visited aggrieved families of those killed and injured in the accident. Mr Ashok Sharma, the local MLA, expressed grief. The Civil Surgeon, Hoshiarpur, Mr Y.C. Markan, said seven bodies were yet to be identified.