Experts from outside Odisha have been brought in to embalm the bodies of the victims of the Balasore train accident, as over 100 dead bodies which could not be identified yet, have started to decompose.

According to reports, more than 12 anatomy and forensic experts from AIIMS in Nagpur and Raipur have been involved in this process.

Prabhas Ranjan Tripathy, a faculty member in the anatomy department at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, explained that the embalming process is typically performed soon after death.

However, due to the lack of infrastructure at the accident site to handle such a large number of casualties, the bodies were initially kept in a local school before being transferred to Bhubaneswar.

Tripathy informed The Indian Express that out of the 123 bodies received at AIIMS, only 43 have been returned to their respective families so far.

According to Ashutosh Biswas, the executive director of AIIMS, they have obtained five special containers from Paradip Ports to store the bodies for several days after the embalming process.

Additionally, the Railways has assigned an official to assist each of the victims’ families, providing support until the cremation takes place.

These officials have been asked coordinate with railway systems and state authorities, according to reliable sources cited by The Indian Express.

A high-ranking officer from the East Coast Railway has been given the responsibility of organizing the “victim mapping” exercise, as stated by a reliable source.

The identification process presents a significant challenge as officials are dealing with cases where multiple individuals claim the same body due to the extent of disfigurement.

Facial recognition to identify the dead

In an effort to identify unclaimed bodies, the Railways utilised face recognition technology and accessed the telecom database, which is under the purview of Ashwin Vaishnaw, who serves as both the telecom minister and railway minister.

Sources indicate that the victims’ faces were matched with profiles associated with their mobile numbers, resulting in the identification of approximately 40 victims.

The KYC (Know Your Customer) data was used to trace their Aadhaar numbers, enabling the notification of their respective families.

According to Chief Secretary P.K. Jena, 85 bodies were identified in Balasore, while an additional 85 were identified in Bhubaneswar. These bodies are being handed over to friends and relatives after following the necessary procedures.

Jena stated, “The state government is arranging transportation of the bodies to their final destinations. To obtain the required legal documents, the family members will not have to face unnecessary hassle, as the state government will take the necessary steps to process and deliver them electronically or through postal services.”

Railways sources have also mentioned that officials have been assigned to the AIIMS mortuary to assist in matching the victims with their Aadhaar and other identification documents.

Once the mortal remains are retrieved from AIIMS, they will be transported to the desired locations as per the families’ preferences, accompanied by the assigned official. Station and divisional officials along the route have received instructions to provide assistance to the families and ensure that they encounter no inconvenience.

The Railways has also taken proactive measures in initiating the disbursal of ex-gratia amounts to the families of the victims.

As of Sunday, approximately Rs 3.2 crore in compensation had already been disbursed from six locations.

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