Bengaluru: South Western Railway conducts mock rescue drill at Yeshwanthpur yard

Bengaluru: A full-scale mock drill as part of preparedness training for disaster management was carried out by Bengaluru division of South Western Railway in association with NDRF 10th Battalion and SDRF, in Yesvanthpur yard.

Two coaches were derailed to create a scenario of train accident and the information of injured passengers was relayed through siren sounding as part of mock exercise. Subsequently, assistance of NDRF and SDRF was sought.

The NDRF team headed Assistant Commandant J Senthil Kumar along with 30 rescuers, Railway Accident Relief team, staff of various departments of railways participated in the joint mock exercise.

NDRF team arrived and joined Railway Accident Relief Team at 10.44 am followed by SDRF and commenced rescue operations.

NDRF team and railway break down staff erected tents for unified command centre and for medical wing near the spot to render first aid to injured passengers rescued from the coaches.

Windows were cut open to rescue the stranded passengers from the coaches and first aid was rendered by railway and NDRF medical team. Railway Police Force cordoned off the accident site to facilitate rescue operations.

The mock drill saw a total of 15 passengers being rescued from the capsized coaches by the NDRF, SDRF and Railway Break down team. It was a display of planning, co-ordination and execution by disaster response forces for rescue of passengers at the quickest time.

The exercise witnessed a speedy response from ambulance (108) and a nearby private hospital, as they arranged ambulance services to the accident spot at short notice.

Mock exercise was carried out in the presence of M A V Ramanujan, Principal Chief Safety Officer, South Western Railway, Hubballi along with Shyam Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru. Additional Divisional Railway Managers Amandeep Kapoor and Kusuma Hariprasad, officers and staff of Bengaluru division were also present at the site.