Bhubaneswar: A total of 288 bodies have been recovered and the number of injured persons had remained constant early in the morning and thereafter no additional injured persons were found, informed Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena after chairing a high-level meeting today evening on Bahanaga Bazar Station train mishap.
The Chief Secretary said that out of those 1050 odd injured persons, many people have returned home after undergoing treatment.
Currently, around 800 injured persons are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the state, the Chief Secretary added.
Jena said that doctors and medical staff are taking appropriate care of the injured persons.
The entire expenditure for the treatment of the injured persons will be borne by the state, Jena clarified.
“Attempts to enter the last bogie which was mangled have been made. That is how 27 bodies have been found since our last report. And hopefully, the rescue operation will be completed in the next one hour or so, and thereafter the Railways have started their restoration efforts and are shifting the empty bogies, and then reconstruction of lines will start,” the Chief Secretary said.
Jena said that with regard to the dead bodies, there are certain processes that include an inquest in the presence of the magistrate, police, doctors, etc.
“Inquest has been done. Some of the bodies have been identified by their relatives. Where we have got the proof, those bodies have been handed over to their relations,” Jena said.
He informed that due procedure is being carried out in the case of bodies that have not been identified.
Appropriate medico-legal procedures will be followed which may require DNA fingerprinting, he added.
“As part of that decision since we have to wait for 48 hours to take any decision regarding disposal of unclaimed and unidentified bodies, so we are now shifting almost about 160 bodies from the accident site to Bhubaneswar where we will keep those in the morgue in AIIMS and other big hospitals,” the Chief Secretary informed.
That is the only challenge now, the Chief Secretary added.
Secretary to CM(5T) VK Pandian and other senior officials were present during the high-level meeting.
