The Odisha government has shifted about 160 bodies of victims of the tragic train mishap in Balasore to Bhubaneswar for better preservation and to facilitate smooth identification by the family members of the deceased. Hundred dead bodies were shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar as of the morning of Sunday, June 4, for restoration from the business part of NOCCi (North Orissa Chamber of Commerce & Industry) on Balasore outskirts.
At least 288 people died and over 800 were left injured after the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express and Howrah-bound SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express were involved in a major accident near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha's Balasore on Friday, June 2.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday evening, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said, "We will bring about 160 bodies to Bhubaneswar and those will be preserved in mortuaries at different government and private hospitals." Since train communication has been snapped to Bhadrak and Balasore due to the accident, family members can visit Bhubaneswar smoothly to find the bodies, he said.
#TrainAccidentInOdisha
— I & PR Department, Odisha (@IPR_Odisha) June 4, 2023
100 dead bodies shifted to AIIMS, #Bhubaneswar as of now for restoration from NoCCi.
Report by: Media Help Desk, Baleswar
"The unidentified bodies will be preserved for 42 hours. If no one claims them, we can dispose them of as per medical procedures," Jena added. According to official sources, about 55 bodies have been identified which have been handed over to the family members after autopsy.
The unidentified bodies are kept at the Bhanaga High School and a temporary mortuary at the business park of the North Orissa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) on the outskirts of Balasore. A total of 1,175 persons have been admitted to different hospitals in Odisha, of which 793 have been discharged.