English poet George Herbert once said, “death keeps no calendar”. One never knows when he will die. Amidst the uncertainties of life, where the shadows of crimes, natural calamities, mishaps, and wars loom large, 2023 stands witness to remarkable stories of resilience and triumph. OrissaPOST brings five miraculous tales of survival where survivors were able to beat death by a whisker.
1. Won’t be able to overcome
Following a pilgrimage, an engineer from Bhubaneswar Dilip Pattanaik boarded S5 coach of 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express in West Bengal June 3, 2023.
Out of spiritual fervour, he was enjoying his train journey over discussions with his co-passengers regarding the greatness of the Almighty.
However, things turned south, when at around 7pm Dilip heard a loud thud, following which he fell off his berth and lights went off.
“It felt like an earthquake. Suddenly, our compartment got derailed and everyone started screaming.” Dilip recalls.
“Somehow, I think, God saved me. Otherwise, I would not have survived. Hence, I decided to rescue others as this was my second life gifted by the Almighty,” Dilip added.
Following the accident, Dilip went on to rescue 40 other fellow passengers and shifted them to nearby hospitals with the help of locals.
Similarly, the passengers of 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express were just five hours away from their destination in Howrah when the train they were onboard collided with Coromandel Express at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district.
Imtajul Khan, a carpenter from Musrhidabad, said he was injured in the chest, feet and head when the coach of Bengaluru-Howrah Express in which he was travelling turned turtle.
“I saw many people dying in front of my eyes,” Khan said.
“It was shocking, I think, I will never be able to overcome the effect of this dreadful incident,” Khan added.
At least 288 people lost their lives in the Bahanaga triple train mishap – which is considered one of the worst train tragedies to have taken place in India in recent decades. Both 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express were involved in the accident apart from a goods train.
2. Nowhere was safe
The night was at its full spirits when about 3,500 young Israelis were gathered at Nova music festival in southern Israel near Gaza border for a joyous night of electronic music to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
The light-blue dawn of October 7 appeared on the horizon, and so did hundreds of militants.
Maya Alper, 25, was standing towards the back of the bar with teams of environmentally conscious volunteers, picking up trash and passing free vodka shots to party-goers who reused their cups. Just after 6am, air raid sirens cut through the ethereal trap music.
Dozens of Hamas militants had blown through Israel’s heavily fortified separation fence and crossed into the country from Gaza. Some attendees were drunk or high on drugs, magnifying their confusion and terror. Many victims were shot on their backs as they ran.
As the carnage unfolded before her, Alper — a tank instructor in Israeli army — jumped into her car and raced to the main road. Alper pulled a few disoriented-looking revellers into her car and accelerated in the opposite direction.
“Nowhere was safe”, Alper said. The roar of explosions, hysterical screams and automatic gunfire felt closer the further she drove. When a man just meters away shouted “God is great!”, Alper and her new companions sprung out of the car and sprinted through open fields toward a mass of bushes.
Alper felt a bullet whiz past her left ear. Aware of the fact that the gunmen would outrun her, she plunged into a tangle of shrubs.
For over six hours, Alper and thousands of other concert attendees hid without help from the Israeli army as Hamas militants sprayed automatic gunfire and threw grenades.
At different points, she heard militants speak in Arabic just beside her.
A yoga devotee who practices meditation, Alper said she focused on her breath.
Alper knew she was safe when she heard a different kind of explosion — the sound of an Israeli army tank around. She shouted for help and was later rescued by IDF soldiers.
The attack on Nova music festival October 7, 2023, is believed to be one of the worst civilian massacres in Israeli history with at least 360 dead at the festival.
3. God saved us
It was a close shave for as many as 50 passengers as a private bus carrying them skidded off Jatamundia-Subarnapur bridge over the Mahanadi River near Banki in Cuttack district after an accident October 3, 2023.
The bus named ‘Nigam’ was en route to Bhubaneswar from Angul when the mishap took place. On the way, the vehicle had a mechanical failure while passing through the bridge. As a result, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it hit the guard wall of a bridge.
In the process, the railing of Jatamundia bridge was damaged and the vehicle remained dangling on the edge of the bridge.
Following the accident, locals present on the spot played an important role in rescuing the lives of all the passengers who were in a state of panic in the tilted bus.
On being informed, Banki police reached the spot and carried out the rescue operation.
Later, the hanging bus was recovered by fire service personnel with the help of a crane.
The driver of the bus Srikant Behera said that the accident took place due to a sudden mechanical failure in the steering wheel.
“We set off from Angul at 7:45am. We were supposed to reach Bhubaneswar around 12pm. Unfortunately, the mishap took place on Jatamundia-Subarnapur bridge due to sudden failure of the steering wheel. I tried my best to put on the break and luckily the bus remained in a hanging position off the bridge.”
“God saved the lives of all of us. We are also very grateful to the local villagers who immediately came to our rescue and brought the trapped passengers outside through the windows,” Behera added.
However, Damapada Tehsildar said that the accident happened due to careless driving.
4. Gasping for 248 hours
Over 248 hours after a massive 7.8-magnitude quake hit Turkey February 6, authorities managed to rescue Aleyna Olmez, a 17-year-old girl, from the rubble of a building that collapsed in the southern central province of Kahramanmaras.
Following Aleyna’s rescue, her uncle tearfully told rescuers “We will never forget you” as he hugged them.
“She opened and closed her eyes,” said coal miner Ali Akdogan, who took part in the rescue effort in Kahramanmaras – a city near the quake’s epicentre.
“We have been working here in this building for a week now… We came here with the hope of hearing sounds,” Ali added.
“It was an incredible thing. Her health is very good.” a doctor who treated Aleyna post-rescue said.
The earthquake resulted in 50,783 deaths, 297 missing and 107,204 people were injured across Turkey. At least 15.73 million people and 4 million buildings were affected. About 3,45,000 apartments were destroyed.
5. King stops heart
A scary video went viral on social media in April 2023, showing a tiger charging towards a tourist vehicle.
The clip shows a tiger charging at a tourist vehicle after coming out of the bushes. A few people are also heard screaming loudly probably in an effort to scare away the big cat. The video ends with the tiger disappearing behind the trees.
The video was shared on ‘X’ by Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda. The video was shot at Ramanagar area of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
Striped monk gets irritated 😣
What will you do if at every designated hours people crash into your house as their matter of right? pic.twitter.com/4RDCVLWiRR— Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) April 26, 2023
Fortunately, the tiger did not pounce on the tourists. Otherwise, it could have been a tragic affair.
Following the incident, the driver of the tourist vehicle was arrested as per the Wildlife Protection Act for provoking the wild cat. The video also raised quotations on the behaviour of tourists while visiting national parks.
As we wrap up these tales of survival, the indomitable human spirit stands as a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. They remind us, even in the darkest of moments, there is a flicker of hope that can defy all odds.
Compiled by Patit Mandal, OP