Balasore train accident: Odisha govt re-revises death toll to 288

Kolkata: The Odisha government on Tuesday revised the death toll in the Balasore train accident to 288.

Speaking to reporters in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena said: "After an elaborate verification of records and taking information from all concerned and conducting two rounds of combing of tracks and nearby areas, the death toll is 288. So far, 205 bodies have been identified and handed over while 83 are yet to be identified," said Jena.

He urged everyone to advise relatives of the rail accident victims to contact officials on toll free numbers - 18003450061 or 1929 - for help in identifying the bodies.


The railways had earlier said the death toll was 288 but the Odisha government had declared that the number was 275.

At a time when unidentified bodies are overflowing in various hospitals of Odisha, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar will be using special refrigerated containers, similar to those used in ships, to preserve the unidentified bodies, people in the know told ET. The morgue in AIIMS Bhubaneswar has a facility for preserving 35-40 bodies. Some other hospitals also have received bodies.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar also opened a DNA testing centre on Monday for DNA tests of family members of the deceased so that the bodies of the victims are identified.