Balasore train accident: 82 bodies still unidentified; Odisha consults neighbours

There are still as many as 82 bodies of victims of the Balasore train accident that claimed the lives of 288 people. The Odisha government has now reached out to its neighbours for identification of the victims. 

The Odisha government held discussions with officials from West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, and asked them for help in early identification and disposal of the human remains. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said that they are coordinating with other state government officials to verify the claimants and speed up the identification process. 

The BMC is also coordinating with the Indian Railways and AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Kulange said that a control room has been set up to assist relatives of the victims, and food and lodging facilities are also being provided to people coming to receive bodies. 

AIIMS Bhubaneswar had kept 162 bodies at the institute, out of which 80 were handed over to the families, while 82 still remain unidentified. 

Some bodies are being claimed by multiple families, which has necessitated DNA sampling to hand over the bodies to the right families. An AIIMS Bhubaneswar official said that they have collected about 50 DNA samples, and some of the test reports are expected within two days. 

Meanwhile, a West Bengal resident has alleged that his son’s body has been handed over to a family in Bihar. "The officials told me to undergo DNA testing and I have done so. But, before the DNA report came, the body had been handed over to some other," he alleged.

On June 2, the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time. This triple train accident led to the death of 288 people, and injury of over 1,000 people. 

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