Odisha Train Crash: Families Giving DNA Samples For Identification Of Decomposed Bodies

Bhubaneswar: Four days after the triple train accident at Bahanaga in Odisha’s Balasore district, the process of identification of the bodies of people who were killed in the mishap continued on Tuesday.

The horrific three-way mishap which took place on the evening of June 2 has claimed the lives of at least 278 people and left more than 1100 passengers. However, identification of the bodies has turned out to be a big challenge.

Stating that a total of 193 bodies were brought to Odisha capital, Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prateek Singh said over 90 bodies have so far been identified and 85 of these handed over to the relatives so far.

He said that a help desk together with a 24-hour control room has been opened with the photographs of the unidentified passengers. Officials of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Commissionerate Police are present there to help the relatives of the affected passengers.

As some of the bodies have been decomposed, those are not matching with the photos causing problems for the family members to identify. When the claimants are trying to identify the body on the basis of clothes and markings, confusion is being created.

In case of multiple claimants and dispute over identification, DNA test is being conducted for proper identification of the body, the DCP said.

A DNA testing centre has been opened at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhubaneswar for identification of the passengers who died in the triple train accident.

Several families have given DNA samples to avoid confusion in the identification of the bodies. After getting the reports of DNA tests, bodies will be handed over to their respective families.

Vehicles, ambulances and buses have been arranged for the family, relatives and friends of those who died in the triple train crash, Singh added.