Bhubaneswar, June 3 (). Following the horrific train accident in Balasore on Friday, the Odisha government on Saturday set up a makeshift mortuary at the North Orissa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) business park on the outskirts of the city. An officer gave this information.
The official said the 40,000 sq ft expo hall of NOCCI has been converted into a mortuary where unidentified bodies will be kept.
This place is about 15 km from the accident site near Bahanaga railway station in Balasore district.
We have set up a mortuary at NOCCI, Balasore Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Sucharu Bal told over phone. The bodies would be preserved in beds covered with snow in the large hall. There are enough beds with ice slabs. Unknown bodies have been kept there.
He said that so far 55 bodies have been identified and handed over to the relatives after post-mortem.
The ADM said that out of the remaining bodies, 27 have been sent to the mortuaries of local hospitals after post-mortem.
The force said the remaining bodies have been kept at the Bhanga High School for identification. This high school has also been converted into a temporary mortuary.
He said the unidentified bodies would be shifted from Bahanaga High School to the temporary mortuary of NOCCI.
The force said, since most of the deceased are from other states like West Bengal and Bihar, the process of identification has become difficult.
Nearly half of the passengers with minor injuries have been discharged from hospitals after treatment. Around 418 injured passengers are undergoing treatment at SCB Medical Colleges at Gopalpur, Khantapara, Balasore, Bhadrak, Soro and Cuttack.
Most of the injured have been admitted to local hospitals. Only serious patients are being referred to SCB Medical College, which is about 173 km from Balasore.
Officials said that over 100 medical teams with paramedical staff and medicines have been sent to the accident site, while 200 ambulances are engaged in taking the injured to hospitals.
Besides this, 30 buses have been arranged for the stranded passengers.
SGK
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