*Passengers of burnt Katra bus call the incident terrifying
Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU, May 15: The passengers of ill fated bus which was in flames near Katra town leaving four dead and many injured few days back said that the incident was terrifying and very hard to forget for them as the screams, cries for help, injured and dead people etc they witnessed jolted their minds.
Undergoing treatment at the Disaster Ward of Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) Jammu most of the injured passengers claimed that it was a loud thunder after which a big ball of fire appeared and all were seen crying, screaming and running to safety and there was smoke everywhere.
Bhim, 45, from Delhi said that the ill fated bus was moving towards Jammu from Katra and after travelling 5-6 kms it was just 10 minutes before the blast that the driver lowered the speed of the vehicle and the conductor de-boarded it comfortably after which hardly the vehicle had moved some 200 metres that a blast was heard and the bus was in flames and stopped after moving for little distance.
“All started moving to safety amidst noises and cries for help while some broke windows of the bus to escape,” he said adding that he shifted some five people out of the bus, most of whom appeared dead while his own leg was injured and was bleeding.
“We were moving towards Jammu after paying obeisance at the Cave Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji and I was viewing photos I have clicked on my cell phone when all of a sudden a blast was heard leaving all dark before our eyes when someone pushed me and I came out of the vehicle,” Kajal, 23, a B. Tech student from Faridabad (Haryana) said.
She said that as she came out of the bus she saw it in flames and people shouting when some cops and army personnel came and shifted them to the hospital.
Jyoti, 25, of Fridabad, a teacher by profession said that she knew nothing as she fell unconscious after the blast and regained conscious at a hospital.
She received burn injuries on leg, hip and some other body parts.
Ravi, 28, a labourer, from Jabalpur (MP) said, he was talking with his co-traveller relatives when they were stunned on the deafening noise of a blast after which a big ball of fire emerged and there was smoke everywhere with screams and painful noises making it all pathetic and the bus was in flames.
Bunty, 30, a Mason from Jabalpur said when he heard the blast he jumped out of the window of the bus after suffering minor injuries and was evacuated to hospital by cops.
Ashok, 29, a Labourer from Delhi said after the blast he started shifting his children and other family members travelling with him to safety.
He was travelling with his mother, wife and two toddlers.
The bus blast case left Mana Devi, 50, a housewife, from Jammu injured with face burns while her daughter Kajal, 18, said as she was sitting near the bus door, she quickly came down of the vehicle on hearing the blast.
Parvesh Sharma, of Gorakh Nagar, Jammu said that his son Hemant Sharma, 17, a student was badly injured in the bus blaze incident and underwent a surgery.
Hemant was returning from Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the ill fated bus after paying obeisance as he had appeared in his class 11 exams.
More such wounded persons with burn injures where undergoing treatment at Intensive Care Unit, Burn Ward and Recovery Ward of GMCH.
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