India train fire kills 47, leaves passengers scrambling for only clear exit

NYcank, I'm terrified of flying. For ten years I refused to fly anywhere, till the prospect of seeing India for the first time was stronger than my fear. I know it's irrational, as crossing the road is more dangerous. Still, if there was an alternative route to reach the subcontinent from Australia, I'd be delighted :-)

How Risky Is It, Really?

You could begin by addressing your anxiety.

I also used to be extremely nervous about flying, Shivani, especially after I was on a plane with very sudden turbulence and all the flight attendants fell down and my drink hit the ceiling. was a pretty severe drop!

to make a long story short, I finally realized in my bones that I control nothing (as I said before), what happens, happens. I let it go and surrendered.

I could go on about how I reached that state, but that's another story! but I DO repeat a mantra on take off....

Hm, yes. Another of those anecdotes would be how once flying home from Asia by I think Tarom or so (it could have been any other company, I really have nothing against these outfits as such) we have an unannounced stop in Zürich, now weaving our way through there in a rainstorm in the Alps. I mean you couldn't see a thing, and you know there's mountains all around you.

Brr. I think funnily it was that same trip btw where on the flight to we had a stop in Paris and this grungy-looking couple gets on and lights up on joints the moment we take off. (Yes, smoking was allowed still.) Must have misunderstood something. Funnily, they got away with it, too. When they finally knocked out on smokes and drinks I remember having to pick up their burning ends so we wouldn't all go up in flames.

Sure enough I met them a few days later in Paharganj all wacked out on smack. Enjoy your holiday, indeed.

The most recent reports that I have seen state that the death toll in the Nellore train fire has now been confirmed as 32. A horrific figure still.

This incident has quite rightly received massive ongoing coverage inside and outside India. Why does there appear to have been very little coverage* of these two equally deadly crashes?

I usually feel nervous travelling by road outside cities in India but I hadn't realised that the stats were quite this bad.

*I did see a couple of posts about the HP crash on IM.

For some reason, trains make more news than buses. This may be something to do with the fact that such accidents on the roads are not that rare, or perhaps something to do with Indian Railways being felt to be a part of India, Indian government, Indian people. The Minister responsible for railways holds an important VIP post: who looks after buses? Anyone? No, probably no-one at all.

I'm going to India and I have to take three trains: now I'm scared!!!

Don't be. It's like being scared of flight.

There must be billions of wonderfully uneventful rail miles travelled in India every year. I suspect that Indian trains are much safer than Indian roads!

The most recent news that I read about the Nellore fire was that it spread so quickly because some people in the coach had fireworks in their luggage.

Carlotta

I agree with Nick. Trains are definitely much safer than roads in India.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/...cle3839663.ece

http://www.frontline.in/stories/20120921291811300.htm

Hat tip to Flannagen..