Odisha train accident: Space crunch in morgues as bodies remain unclaimed
2 min read 04 Jun 2023, 07:06 PM ISTUnclaimed dead bodies from Odisha's triple train accident have filled mortuaries, forcing officials to relocate 187 of them to Bhubaneswar. Only 88 bodies have been identified so far, with makeshift spaces including school premises being used to house victims in the initial hours.
PremiumDays after a horrific three train accident killed 275 people and injured more than a thousand others, Odisha is facing a morgue crunch. Unclaimed dead bodies have filled Balasore's mortuaries, with officials being forced to relocate 187 of them to the capital city of Bhubaneswar. It is pertinent to note here that makeshift spaces including school premises had also been used to house victims as rescue efforts continued earlier this week.
Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena told news agency ANI on Sunday that only 88 bodies had been identified so far. “78 bodies have been handed over till Sunday morning. 10 other dead bodies have been identified and the process of handing over is going on," he explained.
170 of the remaining bodies have been sent to Bhubaneshwar in mortuaries and other hospitals -- AIIMS, Capital Hospital, SUM, KIM and AMRI Hospital. More of the victims are likely to be sent to these facilities.
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Jena said that the bodies were brought to Bhubaneswar in 85 ambulances on Saturday and another 17 bodies reached on Sunday. While the rearrangement has provided a temporary solution, the situation remains far from ideal. Efforts to preserve the victims have been further exacerbated by the hot weather in Odisha.
"It is a real challenge for us too, to preserve the bodies here as we have a facility to keep a maximum of 40 bodies," an AIIMS Bhubaneswar official told PTI. He explained that additional arrangements had been made at the Anatomy department. The medical college has also procured coffins, ice and formalin chemicals to preserve the bodies till they are identified.
Reports quoting sources said that the issue had also drawn the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had reportedly dialled Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya from the accident site itself and asked him to make arrangements at AIIMS Bhubaneswar for the preservation of these bodies. Mandaviya immediately rushed to Bhubaneswar overnight and held several meetings here in the state capital.
"All bodies have been accommodated in cold storage arrangements (due to shortage of morgues)," Odisha's Health and Family Welfare secretary Shalini Pandit told PTI.
Identification has also become a massive challenge with many of the victims being mutilated beyond recognition. The victims also hail from different states and it is possible that some have gone unrecorded as they travelled in the General compartment.
The state government has uploaded the details of the passengers on three websites of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA). Lists and photographs of deceased passengers are also uploaded on the websites to facilitate identification.
A control room has also been set up in the office of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Commissioner's office. People can get information about the bodies and help in their identification by contacting this office.
(With inputs from agencies)
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