Title - One more succumbs to burns

The death toll in the Tamil Nadu Express fire mishap increased to 30 following the death of one of the injured, Sukhdev Singh, 23, of Tilvandi Dogra, 20 km from Amritsar in Punjab, during treatment at Narayana Hospital here on Saturday.

He sustained severe bur-ns on face and legs in the mishap and inhalation of carbon monoxide damaged his lungs. Among others, he was critical from day one and he was on ventilator support from last Monday, the day the mishap occu-rred, at Narayana General Hospital at Nellore.

His father, Gurudeep Singh, a senior Khalasi in railway workshop at Amritsar, and uncle Majith Singh, an employee in electricity board in Amritsar, have rushed to Nellore after coming to know about the incident.

Incidentally, Sukhdev Singh himself called his father through his mobile phone from the burning coach and told him that his clothes have caught fire. “I was shocked when he told me that his clothes are afire (“Mere kapada jala raha hai”). He urged me to come immediately and take care of him,” grief-stricken Gurudeep Singh said.

The mobile phone was with him when he was admitted to the hospital and the hospital staff handed over the phone to Gurudeep Singh. His uncle Manjith Singh said that Sukhdev Singh was on his way to Chennai to join in Indian Marine University.

“Sukhdev is a very determined person, his ambition was to become a navy officer. He took permission from education department to pursue Intermediate (Plus two) second time to improve his score and become eligible for the course. He secured 75 per cent marks in his second attempt. He is the only son in the family and his two younger sisters have been pursuing M.A., first year and second year,” Manjith Singh said with choked voice.

Railway officials have been making arrangements to send the body to Amritsar by flight as per the request of Gurudeep Singh. Railway commercial officer G.R. Sudhakar said that they have arranged an ambulance to carry the body up to Chennai airport.