biggest train accident of india, painful story of ‘train number 653’: the entire train with the passengers got immersed in the sea even today – biggest train accident of india: real story of train no 653 pamban- dhanuskodi train tragedy

New Delhi: On the night of 22 December 1964 the weather had turned very bad. Strong winds were blowing. It was raining. It was dark all around. The weather was getting worse. At Dhanushkodi railway station, station master R.K. Sundarraj closed the station and went home. He did not know that he would not get a chance to re-open the office he was locking today. Train number 653 heading towards this station was heading towards death. Even after passing of years, the pain of this incident gives goosebumps to the people. Even today, if you go from Rameswaram towards Ramsetu, then on the way you will see deserted ruins spread over several kilometers. These ruins tell the painful story of that horrific devastation. This train accident is remembered as one of the most painful accidents in the history of Indian Railways. In this accident, the entire train got drowned in the waves of the sea.

Tragic accident, which still scares

The matter is 66 years old, but its story still gives goosebumps. On 15 December 1964, severe storm warnings were issued. The weather started taking a turn. It started raining with a strong storm. The storm started taking a more formidable form on 21 December. On 22 December 1964, a cyclonic storm that originated from Sri Lanka was moving towards Dhanushkodi at a speed of 110 kilometers per hour. After hitting Pamban Island, its speed increased to 280 kmph. The storm was moving ahead causing havoc.

one mistake and it’s all over

As usual, train number 653 left for Dhanushkodi railway station from Pamban station. The passenger was passing a few kms from Dhanushkodi around 11.55 pm. The weather had turned very bad. The railway signals were damaged due to the storm and heavy rains. Due to non-receipt of signal, the loco pilot of the train stopped the train at some distance from Dhanushkodi railway. Kept waiting for a long time, but when the signal was not received, decided to take the risk from the loco pilot. He decided to push the train ahead in the midst of a fierce storm. Amidst the storm, train number 653 was moving towards Dhanushkodi station.

The entire train got drowned in the sea

Train number 653 was passing through the Pamban Bridge over the sea amid cyclonic storm and heavy rains. The speed of the train was kept very low due to the storm from the loco pilot. The train was moving slowly at Pumble Bridge. But suddenly the waves became so strong that it became impossible to control the train. The rear compartment of the train got engulfed in the waves of the sea. In no time, the entire train along with 6 coaches got immersed in the depths of the sea. 110 passengers and 5 railway employees aboard the train were washed away in the sea waves.

It is also said that there were many passengers in that train who had boarded without tickets. The death toll in this tragic accident was said to be around 200. This storm erased even the name of Dhanushkodi railway station. About 2000 people lost their lives in this cyclonic storm. More than 1000 people were killed in Dhanushkodi alone. Till today the marks of this storm can be seen in Dhanushkodi. The deserted ruins tell the story of this tragic accident. In the history of railways, this accident is known as a painful train accident.

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