Days after horrific train crash, 101 bodies yet to be identified

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ With over 100 unidentified bodies from Balasore triple train crash pilling up in different hospitals in Bhubaneswar, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar has started DNA sampling of the claimants, an official said on Tuesday.

As many as 10 samples have so far been collected from the claimants, a senior official of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said. He said the bodies have now been shifted to five containers where they can be preserved for a longer period.

The official said there should be no hurry in disposing the bodies after DNA sampling as they can be preserved in the container for six months. Of the 278 dead persons, 177 bodies have been identified while another 101 need to be identified and handed over to their families.

AIIMS, Bhubaneswar had received 123 bodies of which around 64 have been identified. A claimant from, Jharkhand on Tuesday alleged that they had on Monday identified the body of Upendra Kumar Sharma, but it was handed over to someone else on Tuesday.