Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena on Sunday said that the restoration work at the three-train accident site in Odisha’s Balasore district is underway on a war footing by the Indian Railways.
Meanwhile, the Railway announced that all the 21 coaches that capsized due to the derailment of trains at Bahanaga Bazar Station have been grounded.
“In addition, three wagons and the locomotive upper part will be grounded. Now the site is being cleared,” an official statement issued by Indian Railways read.
Jena said that the entire rescue operation has been completed and the track restoration work is likely to complete by tonight.
“At present, 300 injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Odisha, and their condition is said to be stable,” said Jena.
Jena further said that already the process to bring 160 bodies to Bhubaneswar is underway. The state government is now focusing on identification of the deceased. As the relatives of the deceased passengers from different parts of the country are likely to reach the state on Sunday, efforts are on to coordinate with them.
“As per norms, the bodies will be disposed of after necessary medico-legal process and collection of DNA samples after 48 hours,” Jena added.
In a tweet, the Ministry of Railways said that the officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site.
“Restoration work is ongoing at war footing at the train accident site in Balasore, Odisha with 1000+ manpower working tirelessly. At present, more than seven Poclain Machines, two Accident Relief Trains, and 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes have been deployed for early restoration. Officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site,” read the post on the official Twitter handle of the Railways ministry.
Seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Teams, five Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) Units, and 24 Fire Services and Emergency units are engaged in rescue operations.
