Odisha Train Accident: Balasore tragedy death toll revised to 275

Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena stated on Sunday that the death toll in the tragedy has been updated to 275 after accounting for certain “double countings” following the catastrophic railway accident in Balasore on Friday evening.

Out of the 275, 88 bodies, according to the Chief Secretary, have been identified.

“The Railways on Saturday said that the number of deaths is 288 and we also circulated that. But, since then the District Magistrate and his team checked each and every body recovered, checked from the track, the hospital and two temporary assembly points. It was found that some bodies were counted twice. So, after wading out the duplications, the Collector has informed that the number of deaths is 275 and not 288,” Pradeep Jena told ANI.

“Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified. 78 bodies have been handed over till Sunday morning. 10 other dead bodies have been identified and the process of handing over is going on,” he added.

AMRI Hospital, AIIMS, Capital Hospital, SUM, and other hospitals have received 170 of the remaining dead, and the other bodies will also be brought to Bhubaneshwar, according to the Chief Secretary.

According to him, 1,175 injured patients in all were sent to various hospitals. The Chief Secretary reported that 793 injured passengers had been released as of Sunday morning.

“Remaining, 382 were getting treated till morning. This figure will again be updated again,” he said.

“Regarding the bodies that have not been identified, we have put up the photographs of the bodies and posted them on the website of three organisations; Special Relief Commissioner (SRF), Odisha State Disaster Management Authority and Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC),” added Jena.

Meanwhile, as per the Ministry of Railways, the restoration work is going in full swing and the officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site.

Over a thousand individuals are working on the project. The Ministry reported that more than seven Poclain Machines, two accident relief trains, three to four railway and road cranes are deployed.

At Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore neighbourhood, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and a cargo train were on three different tracks when the three-way disaster occurred.

A total of 24 Fire Services and Emergency units, five ODRAF Units, and seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Teams participated in the rescue efforts.

Mi-17 helicopters from the Indian Air Force (IAF) were used to transport the injured and deceased. The IAF coordinated the rescue attempts with the government and Indian Railways, according to the Eastern Command.

The Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and a cargo train were all involved in the three-way collision at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore district, according to the preliminary report on the disaster.

Up to 17 coaches from these two passenger trains were seriously damaged when the accident occurred on Friday night.

(with inputs from agencies)

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