Odisha train tragedy: School turns into morgue as relatives struggle to identify deceased

Following the tragic triple train collision incident in Odisha, the state government and railway officials converted the Bahanaga High School into a makeshift mortuary, reported various media organisations.

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Officials justified their decision to use the school as the initial location to house the bodies by stating that the school was situated near the accident site and that the open classrooms provided space for relatives and next of kin to identify the deceased, The Indian Express reported.

The kin need to provide residence proof for the deceased, as well as proof of ticket, which must correspond with reservation charts available with the authorities so that the compensation process can be begun. “This is an emergency situation. Bodies are pouring in while relatives are making a beeline to identify them. But many of the bodies are beyond recognition. We are handling the relatives with care,” DSP Ranajit Nayek told the publication.

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The school was lined up with dead bodies - with phones of the deceased ringing continously, often helping relatives identify the loved ones they lost.

The Hindu reported that most victims and their kin were from neighbouring West Bengal. Attesting to the despair that loomed large, Nihar Barik, a member of the Satyasai Seva Sangathan in Balasore told the publication, “we shifted more than 70 bodies from the accident sites to the school premise. Initially, we were shocked to see so many corpses. However, as time passed, our emotions vanished and we just carried bodies reflexively”.

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Around 170 bodies were initially housed on the school grounds. However, due to the inadequacy of space, the school administration utilized the open hall to arrange for the identification of the deceased, The New Indian Express reported, adding that the administration later decided to shift the bodies to the North Odisha Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI), near Balasore town, given that there was no way the corpses could be preserved for forensic examination and identification in the school.