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Tsunami train disaster survivor joins maiden trip on restored Sri Lankan railroad
Associated Press,
Sun February 20, 2005 07:02 EST .
SHIMALI SENANAYAKE - Associated Press Writer - PERALIYA, Sri Lanka - (AP) As he passed the spot where he miraculously escaped a tsunami-stricken train, W. Karunathilake could hardly believe he'd gathered the courage to ride again this time as an invited passenger on the restored railroad's first train since the Dec. 26 disaster. The Queen of the Sea's Engine 59 and its coaches have become an icon of the tsunami tragedy that killed nearly 31,000 people in Sri Lanka - . ``I didn't think I would survive,'' said Karunathilake, who spent 20 years working on trains. ``I haven't seen such a wave in my life,'' he said. ``The first wave brought the water inside the train, but we didn't take it seriously. But then, we saw a mighty 9-meter (30-foot) wave, and it toppled the train.'' He said he opened the compartment windows ``and heard people saying prayers.'' ``It was chaotic. I climbed out of the window on top of the coach,'' pulled people from the train and brought them on top, he said. His deputy survived by clinging to a coconut tree until he fell and fainted. The two other operators didn't make it, Karunathilake said. Karunathilake said he and others escaped to a nearby Buddhist temple, where they were trapped for 2 1/2 hours, until the waters receded. ``I was drained in water,'' he said. ``It's a miracle I escaped.'' Of the train accident's 2,000 victims, 824 bodies were found. Some were passengers, others villagers who clambered atop the train, trying to get above the rising water. Scores were buried in mass graves. On Sunday, the flag-decorated engine led a six-coach train on a symbolic 120-kilometer (75-mile) ride along the tracks, which took 1 1/2 months to restore. The train passed three of the Queen of the Sea's wrecked coaches, set on parallel tracks as a memorial. Cabinet ministers and other dignitaries on Sunday's trip visited a temple near Peraliya to honor the victims and chanted blessing for the journey. As the train pulled out, scores of people at the station clapped and cheered. While many looked forward to the resumed rail services, for some the memory of the tragedy was too fresh. Station manager Nimal Premasiri was on the train with his family when the waves struck. He lost his wife and 18-year-old daughter. ``I'm not sure when I will be ready to go,'' he said. ``I feel a terrible sense of loss and emptiness ... hard to explain. It was on a Sunday like this that we set off. We were so happy.'' Regular train service won't resume yet, said Priyal de Silva, general manager of the state-run railways. He said the signaling system and the track were still not up to standards. Some of the signaling between stations will be done manually, he said. It wasn't immediately clear when regular service would start again.
Published: Sun Feb 20 13:17:10 EST 2005
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