Odisha train tragedy: 29 dead bodies yet to be identified

Balasore/Bhubaneswar: More than two months have passed since the Odisha train tragedy at Balasore district. However, 29 dead bodies recovered from the accident site are yet to be identified.

It is worth mentioning that sources at AIIMS Bhubaneswar have said that, since the last 15 days there have been no claimants at all. Not a single person has been to the hospital to claim the bodies.

“All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar had received a total of 162 dead bodies in two phases, of which 133 bodies have been handed over to their relatives and family members,” said Dillip Kumar Parida, superintendent, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar earlier on August 1, 2023

Out of the total 81 unidentified bodies received by the national institute, 52 bodies have been dispatched to their families, he said.

“Due to multiple claimants and few other issues, 103 DNA samples of bodies and claimants were sent to New Delhi for matching. After DNA sample matching, the bodies have been headed over to the concerned family members with the help of railways,” Parida said.

He said the 29 unidentified bodies are preserved in the containers at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. The last phase DNA sampling reports are likely to come up in a week.

The central government and Odisha government will decide what to do with the bodies, which will remain unclaimed after the last phase DNA report, he added.

At least 294 people died and over 700 were injured after Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, Howrah bound SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train were involved in a tragic accident near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2 evening.