52 bodies of victims remain unclaimed over a month after the Balasore train crash that claimed the lives of 293 people and left more than a thousand injured.The train tragedy – one of the worlds worst railway accidents – took place on June 2 near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore, Odisha. The Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, travelling at full speed, collided with a goods train and derailed, and was then hit by the oncoming SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah Superfast Express.The government has worked to treat the influx of injured people – more than 1,175 injuries were reported – and have repaired the site of the accident.However, more than a month later, many families are yet to recover the mortal remains of their loved ones who died in the crash.Families unable to identify disfigured bodies of Balasore victims52 bodies are still left unclaimed at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar morgue, where they have been stored in a deep-freeze container.Many bodies are disfigured and mutilated, making identification extremely difficult for families. The AIIMS authorities have embalmed the bodies to slow down decomposition, but limited space at the mortuary is making continued storage difficult.“If you go through the photo database, youll see many of the bodies are damaged beyond recognition. They are also now decomposing,” Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said, as quoted by the BBC.52 bodies remain unclaimed as Balasore victim families wait for DNA resultsThe railway authorities have started identifying the bodies using DNA results when more than one family claims a body. However, many families who have submitted their DNA samples are waiting to hear back – with no known timeline.The BBC interviewed two families from West Bengal who have submitted their DNA testing to claim their kins bodies. Ram Charan has been searching for the remains of his brother, as have victim Anzarul Haques family, but neither has heard back from railway authorities yet.“A month has passed and we have not be able to get any information about his body,” Mohammad Kareem, Anzarul Haques brother-in-law, told the BBC.However, this slow speed of identification was to make sure that there are no errors in identification, according to Biswajit Sahu, Chief Public Relations Officer, East Coast Railways, who said that they are working cautiously to avoid any error.“Identification of next of kin is being done with the help of railway officials, Odisha police, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation officials and AIIMS staff,” he told the BBC.However, as days pass on, questions are being raised about what to do with the bodies that remain unclaimed. Mr Sahu assured that no steps will be taken until all bodies have been tested for DNA.Meanwhile, the Odisha administration and Railway officials have taken steps to ensure that victims families can come and submit DNA samples to claim their loved ones remains.😥😥 there are still unidentified and unclaimed bodies of the deceased from the Balasore train accident. Notice in the newspaper asking families to come forward and give DNA samples. pic.twitter.com/4Eo69rFl8h— Yusuf Unjhawala 🇮🇳 (@YusufDFI) June 28, 2023
