After waiting close to a month following the June 2 train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district that left 293 people dead, five families were finally handed over bodies of their loved ones on Friday.
This was possible after 29 out of the 85 DNA samples drawn from relatives matched with that of the victims’ bodies preserved at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhubaneswar.
Railway sources said transport arrangements were being made to send the bodies to their native places. A total of 81 bodies were preserved at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, however, 85 claimants gave DNA samples to establish the identity.
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The accident involving three trains – 12824 Coromandel Express, 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train – was so severe that many bodies were beyond recognition.
Relatives who rushed from far-off places in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha were asked to identify bodies from photographs. As it led to a chaotic situation, authorities decided to carry out DNA profiling of all bodies.
Wait ends
Vijendra Rishi, a farmer from Purnia district of Bihar, had been waiting at the AIIMS-Bhubaneswar guesthouse hoping to identify the body of his 21-year-old son – Suraj Kumar – and perform last rites. His DNA sample finally matched with his son’s.
“Our community members observe certain strict regulations till the last rites are performed. Since June 2, my family members and extended relatives in my village are anxiously waiting for identification of the body,” said Mr. Rishi. His deceased son is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
Similarly, Laxman Choudhary, a farmer from Sahebganj district of Jharkhand, finally reconciled himself to the the fact his 26-year-old son, Bhim Choudhary, is dead. “Till we find a body, we cannot believe somebody is dead. My son was going to Chennai by the Coromandel train to work in construction sector. Now that our DNA samples matched, we can now be sure that we will not take home the wrong body,” said Mr. Choudhary.
