In the immediate aftermath of the crash, paramedics, police, military personnel and firefighters struggled to reach the wreckage because of raging fires. Around 150 passengers died and another 50 people on the ground were killed. Several houses were destroyed as well as buses, cars and motorcycles.
“Thousands of people were on the spot, some crying, some trying to reach their own houses or relatives' houses,” one Salvationist reported, according to the organisation. After the crash, police let the Salvation Army “Compassion in Action” team through to the crash site where it provided water for rescuers.
“The smell was terrible and there was black dust all around. Dead bodies were carried by the military ... burned pieces of bone were collected. It was like a nightmare.”
According to the Salvation Army, four of its team members stayed at the crash site while the rest went back to Samanhudi Girls' Home to prepare food for the military and police.
Around 500 meals were distributed in the afternoon and another 600 in the evening. Salvationists also went to homes that had been destroyed to take food to the survivors.
Joe Alvarez
Christian Today Correspondent
