It has been 25 years since the Cheppad Level Cross tragedy, which took the lives of 36 people from Evoor, a small village near Kayamkulam. It seemed like all 41 guests in a wedding party were bored on the bus towards the groom’s residence.
The train accident that killed 36 people devastated the entire village, and it remains a nightmare for them to this day. The accident occurred when the bus stopped on the track, causing it to collapse. Many of the villagers were killed instantly, while others were trapped in the rubble and died before rescuers could reach them. The disaster left the village traumatized, and many residents still struggle to cope with what happened.
The bus that carried Marage Party was hit by a push-pull train, and the tragic incident took 36 innocent lives, including children. Five people who were bored on the bus miraculously saved themselves. The collision occurred on May 14th, 1996, in the afternoon.
The accident had occurred between Kayamkulam and Alappuzha stations, and the wedding guests’ travel bus was at an unguarded level crossing. It is a half-kilometre walk from the Cheppad railway station.
The victims were returning from Nediyavila after attending the wedding of Soman. Groom Soman’s mother, Gauri, and brothers, Madhu and Radhakrishnan, also died in the accident.
A dispute arose that the bus driver could not see the train due to the tree covering the view and that the bus accidentally stopped on the track. The bus driver died instantly, and this claim hasn’t been clarified. The Mavelikkara courthouse has given an order for compensation to the disaster victims, those who died and those who were wounded.
The Cheppad train tragedy opened the eyes of the railway authorities to appoint more guards on the busy railway tracks.
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