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Last updated: June 30, 2023, 21:26 IST
Rescue workers recover bodies of victims from a carriage wreckage from a collision of three trains near Balasore, Odisha. (AFP)
Since many bodies are still unidentified, Indian Railways has appealed to the relatives of the deceased to come forward and provide their DNA samples to prove their identity.
Nearly a month after the triple train crash in Odisha, the 29 bodies of those who died in one of India’s worst train tragedies have been identified – by matching DNA sample – and will be handed over to family members.
So far, at least 81 unidentified bodies have been kept in containers at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar.
“The cross-over analysis of 29 bodies, about 15 of which had more than one claimant, was received in the first phase and the delivery process will start today,” the sources told News 18.
The state government initially uploaded photos of the dead to the websites: and https://www.osdma.org.
However, to take extra precaution, DNA profiling to identify the bodies was done after more than one family claimed some as it involved a tip of Rs 15 lakh from both the center and the state.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has arranged for free transportation of dead bodies by mortuary/corpse carriers till their destination.
The sources added that if the relatives are not able to travel to the AIIMS, the bodies will be cremated at Satyanagar and Bharatpur crematoriums.
On the other hand, the death toll of the train tragedy reached 293 with the death of another passenger who was undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Thursday.
Manish Kumar (24 years old), a resident of Jamui in Bihar, was admitted to hospital with multiple injuries, a day after the train crash at Pahanaga Bazar station.
A total of 2,296 passengers were traveling on the Howrah Superfast Express and Coromandel Express, which collided after the latter derailed after hitting a stationary goods train on the evening of 2 June.
The triple accident claimed the lives of 288 people. While 211 passengers were declared dead on the spot by doctors mobilized from Bhadrak and Balasur, the rest were either received dead at various hospitals or died while receiving treatment.
Since many bodies are still unidentified, Indian Railways has appealed to the relatives of the deceased to come forward and provide their DNA samples to prove their identity.
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