One more passenger succumbs to injuries, death toll in Odisha train tragedy rises to 292
By Sudam Patra
Balasore, June 19: The death toll in the Odisha train tragedy went up to 292 after a man from West Bengal, who was undergoing treatment at the Cuttack SCB Medical College & Hospital’s Central ICU, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Paltu Naskar, a resident of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.
Paltu, who was injured in the triple train mishap at Bahanaga Bazar in Balasore on June 2, was received at the SCBMCH in a serious condition.
With Naskar’s death, the total number of casualties at the SCBMCH has risen to 4.
As of now, a total of 45 persons, who sustained injuries in the train crash, are undergoing treatment at the SCBMCH.
A man from Bihar, who was identified as Sohen Mansoor, had succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the authorities of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, have written a letter to the Central Forensic Laboratory, requesting them to send the DNA reports of 15 to 17 bodies at the earliest as they have more than one claimant.
According to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar executive director Prof Ashutosh Biswas, the hospital now has a total of 81 bodies. While 75 bodies have claimants, the remaining six are yet to be identified. However, their identification process is underway, he said.
The authorities went for DNA test of some identified bodies as are multiple claimants for them.
“The bodies won’t be cremated until they are identified. We have preserved them. As of now, we are waiting for the people to come and receive the last remains of their loved ones,” said Biswas.
The terrible mishap occurred on June 2 evening when 10 to 12 coaches of Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga in Balasore district and infringed the opposite track. After minutes, the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express coming on the opposite track rammed into those derailed coaches, causing a huge number of fatalities.
