OdishaPlus Bureau
Odisha Chief Secretary informs that the bodies of Bahanaga Train Accident victims are being shifted to Bhubaneswar & due medico-legal process shall be followed for handover to kin or disposal if necessary.
The death toll in Odisha’s Bahanaga Train Tragedy has risen to 288, informs the Chief Secretary Govt of Odisha, Pradeep Kumar Jena in a video message this evening.
Mr Jena, on Saturday forenoon had quoted the number of deceased as 261. So, the number has escalated to 288 with more number of bodies being recovered during the rescue operations in the day.
The Chief Secy further informs “Over 200 victims who were being treated at different hospitals of Odisha have been discharged after necessary care. There are about 750-800 victims who are still undergoing treatment at Balasore Medical College, SCB Medical College Cuttack and other places”.
“The state govt is giving priority to provide best possible treatment to the injured”, assured Mr Jena in the statement.
The Chief Secretary adds that in the meantime, some of the dead bodies are being identified and handed over to their kin after the autopsy. Similarly, the identification process of other deceased is going on.
As per the medico-legal process, every step will be followed for future identification of the unidentified and unclaimed bodies. “If necessary, DNA samples will be drawn from the bodies”, Mr Jena updates.
The dead bodies are being kept at different locations near Soro, Balasore and Bhadrak. The govt has directed the field officials to shift the bodies to Bhubaneswar so they can be preserved for the next couple of days at necessary facilities. As per the latest information, 160 bodies are being brought to Bhubaneswar tonight.
The Chief Secretary informs that steps are being taken to follow due medico-legal process, as per discussion with Union Secretary Home, Cabinet Secretary, Director AIIMS Bhubaneswar and other senior officials of the state government.
In a gruesome event, Shalimar Chennai Coromandel Express collided with a goods train near Bahanaga bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore. Further to the misfortune, Yeswantpur Howrah Superfast Express clashed with the derailed coaches of the Coromandel resulting in a series of train accidents on Friday evening.
Though the official death figure has been quoted as 288, looking at the mangled remains of the trains, locals feel that the toll might be much more.
As the accident took place in the evening, the rescue operation posed a challenge and lasted close to 24 hours. The locals played an important role in the golden hour while police, fire personnel, NDRF, ODRAF and Army joined the exercise later.
When the focus of the administration is on the treatment of the injured, and identification and handover of the bodies, the railway authorities are facing new challenges in restoration of the tracks and returning the situation back to normalcy.