New Delhi (Agency): Even as three months have passed since the tragic triple train disaster near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha, the bodies of 23 passengers remain unclaimed and unidentified, according to an official statement.
The bodies are currently being preserved in specialized freezers at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, and can continue to be stored for an extended duration. Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dilip Parida, stated, “We think no more claimants will come forward as no one has arrived in the last 10 days.”
With no further claimants anticipated, the decision has been made to hand over the unclaimed bodies to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has taken over the case related to the train disaster, which involved the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, a stationary goods train, and the Yesvantpur-Howrah Express.
AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, had previously received a total of 162 bodies in two phases. After cross-matching DNA at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi, bodies were handed over to the respective claimants. However, 28 bodies remained unclaimed despite these efforts.
Parida elaborated, “We are waiting for instruction from the railway ministry for further processing of the unclaimed bodies.” Over 100 DNA samples were subjected to genetic testing to identify victims.
The tragic mishap, which occurred on June 2 this year, claimed the lives of at least 295 people and injured over 1200 individuals. The disaster remains one of the most devastating incidents in the country’s history.