Odisha Train Tragedy: Families Looking For Kin Struggle To Identify ‘Disfigured’ Bodies

Bhubaneswar: After the rescue operation, the Odisha government is facing another challenge: identifying the bodies of those who died in the triple train accident, one of the deadliest in India’s history, at Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore, which claimed 275 lives.

The bodies are in such bad conditions that the family members are finding it difficult to identify those. In some cases, two claimants have come forward for one body. “More than 50 bodies have been identified so far with help from their relatives. We have despatched 40 bodies to their destinations . We are facing issues in identification of some disfigured bodies. In such cases, we have to got for DNA tests,” said Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange.

The doctors are following all procedures while handling the bodies, he added.

Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena earlier told the media about 170 bodies having been identified so far. “Arrangements for free transportation of the bodies by hearses/dead body carriers till destination were made by the Odisha government,” he said.

AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, in a release, said that it had received 123 bodies and despatched 32 after identification till this morning.

Odisha development commissioner Anu Garg said that help desks have been set up at each hospital and mortuary and all required help are being extended to the victims and their family members. “Problems in identification of bodies usually happen in such a massive devastating tragedy. The state administration in coordination with officials of railway and government of India are jointly making all efforts to resolve the issues,” she said.

All assistance is being provided to those who are identifying bodies while family members of injured are being escorted to the hospital concerned, she said, adding that arrangements have been made for accommodation of relatives of the victims.