Bhubaneswar: Even as the work of restoring rail traffic at Bahanaga, the site of the gruesome train accident on June 2 that killed 275 people continues, the Odisha government has been on the task of identifying the dead bodies.
Led by chief secretary Pradeep Jena, who has been personally monitoring the operation, the entire state administration has gone into overdrive. It has shifted more than 100 bodies from makeshift morgues at Bahanaga and Balasore to different hospitals in Bhubaneswar, which is about 30 km away from the accident site.
“This is a huge challenge, but we are doing our best to identify the bodies,” Jena said. While 100 bodies were shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, at least 17 were brought to the morgue at the Capital Hospital during the last 24 hours.
Sources said that shifting the bodies to Bhubaneswar had become imperative as there was a chance that corpses would decay at the makeshift morgues, which lack proper preservation facilities.
The other reason for transporting the victims’ bodies is that while places like Bahanaga and Balasore still remain cut off due to the disruption of rail traffic, relatives of victims from different parts of the country can easily reach Bhubaneswar.
A list of injured passengers and photographs of the deceased have been uploaded on state government websites to facilitate identification.
“The photographs of the deceased in the Balasore train accident are being posted only to facilitate identification. Given the nature of the accident, the images posted are disturbing. It is advised that children avoid viewing these images. Viewers’ discretion may be exercised,” a government release said.
Arrangements are also being made for free bus services from places like Kolkata to Bhubaneswar and Cuttack till normal train services are restored on the Balasore route, as most accident victims are believed to be residents of neighbouring states like West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Jena said that unidentified bodies will be preserved for 48 hours.
“If no one will claim the bodies, we can dispose of them as per medical procedures,” he said, adding that wherever relatives are able to provide evidence, the bodies will be handed over to them after autopsy. He also hinted at the possibility of conducting DNA tests if required.
Rescue personnel amidst mangled coaches near train accident site in Odisha’s Balasore on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Photo: Screengrab from ANI video/Twitter.
Capital Hospital superintendent Dr. Dilip Kumar Panda said, “We are waiting for family members and relatives to turn up to identify the bodies. Under normal circumstances we keep the bodies of accident victims for 48 hours and then dispose of them. But this is a special case. We will abide by the instructions of the state government.”
Sources said more than 100 bodies have been identified and handed over to relatives so far, but an official statement on this was still awaited.
Doctors at AIIMS did not rule out the possibility of bodies decomposing in the event of a delay in identification and transfer to relatives.
“Some bodies are being kept in ice chambers while others are being treated with chemicals to prevent decomposition, said a doctor who did not wish to be named.
The police department and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation have set up centres to help people coming to the capital city to identify their kin. A toll-free number, 1929, has been issued with five persons engaged to attend calls round the clock.
Watch: Odisha Train Accident: Is It The Structural Failure of Indian Railways?
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday took stock of the medical assistance being provided to the injured. He visited AIIMS and other hospitals, where he spoke with doctors about embalming and other preservation facilities to ensure that bodies can be handed over to relatives without the fear of decomposition.
A team of experts from AIIMS, Delhi has been dispatched to Bhubaneswar to assist the doctors here.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted a line of praise for rescue efforts.
I commend each and every person belonging to the teams of railways, NDRF, ODRAF, local authorities, police, fire service, volunteers and others who are working tirelessly on the ground and strengthening the rescue ops. Proud of their dedication.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 3, 2023
The state government dispatched at least five teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 24 fire service teams to rescue passengers trapped in the derailed bogies as soon as the news of the train accident spread.
Later, the local administration at Balasore was engaged in shifting the victims to various hospitals and providing them other kinds of relief.
“The Odisha government and the local people at Bahanaga have done a commendable job. They deserve all praise for this,” said Gangadhar Rout, a Balasore-based journalist.
