Odisha train accident: School becomes morgue, next big challenge is identifying the dead

Chief secretary P K Jena said the unidentified bodies will be shifted to Bhubaneswar instead, and kept at morgues of medical colleges and private-run hospitals.

“The state government will make special arrangements for families. Our officers will take them to identify their loved ones,” said Jena.

With the rescue operations winding down, the focus has shifted from the living to the dead – and how to identify them. The state government has also decided to conduct forensic tests of unidentified bodies at the State Forensic Science Laboratory.

Explaining why the school was chosen to house the bodies initially, officials said it is close to the site of the accident, and its classrooms and halls offer enough open space.

“At least 163 bodies were brought here, of which around 30 have been identified by relatives so far,” said Arvind Agarwal, director of the women and child welfare department, who has been manning the premises since Friday night.

Rescue operation underway following an accident involving Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Express and a goods train, in Balasore district. (PTI)

“This is an emergency situation. Bodies are pouring in while relatives are making a beeline to identify them. But many of the bodies are beyond recognition. We are handling the relatives with care,” said DSP Ranajit Nayek, who has also been posted there.

About 100 people, including municipal workers, could be seen at work inside the school. “Our batch came in this afternoon. It’s hard work picking up the decomposed bodies, but seeing the pain of relatives is harder. Bodies are dismembered and some seem charred due to electrocution. So recognising them is difficult,” said Rajendra, a municipal worker who came from Basudevpur.

Masks and hand sanitiser were kept for anyone who might need them.

Many of the families who had gathered at the school were from neighbouring West Bengal.

According to officials, once relatives identify a body, residence proof and proof of ticket is to be provided. The names of persons identified are also tallied with reservation charts. Only then are the bodies handed over to relatives and the process for compensation begins.

At the school, people could be seen going from one body to the next, lifting the white sheets to check their faces. Since many bodies are unrecognisable, officials said they are now looking for luggage, phones and other belongings for possible identification.

Sazaat Ali from West Midnapore tried desperately to ascertain the whereabouts of his brother-in-law, who had boarded the Coromandel Express from Shalimar for Chennai. “He works as a carpenter. I have not been able to reach him and his phone is off,” said Sazaat.

Similarly, Harihar Sahu from Mayurbhanj looked for his nephew Jagdish (27), who studies at an institute in Kendrapara. “We know that Jagdish’s friend is dead, but we don’t have any information about him,” Sahu said.

Those who couldn’t find their loved ones at the school then made rounds of nearby health facilities. At Soro hospital, Sayed Ali from Diamond Harbour in West Bengal looked for six of his friends and relatives, who had boarded the Coromandel Express for Visakhapatnam, where they work as construction workers. “We have inquired everywhere, including all hospitals, but haven’t been able to find them. Are they alive or dead?” asked Sayed.

Hasan-ur-Rehman was at the school looking for 16 from his village in Nandigram, including his brother-in-law. They were all on the Coromandel Express. “Neither are they at the hospital, nor are they here,” he said.

Choturam Chowdhury, a resident of Baishnabnagar, searched for his two relatives, Sadhu Chowdhury and Dipankar Mondol, who were travelling to Chennai for work. “The bodies have started to decompose in the heat. Many faces are not recognisable. I could find the two, I don’t know what I will say back home,” he said.