BHUBANESWAR: Many of the anxious families awaiting word on the outcome of DNA matching to identify the 81 unclaimed bodies of the Odisha train-crash victims might have no other option but to seek closure through a mass cremation, officials said on Monday after identifying four possible sites in Bhubaneswar for the final rites.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation's move came 11 days after the three-train collision at Bahanaga in Balasore district killed 288, most of them disfigured beyond recognition. So far, 75 DNA samples have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi for matching with the unclaimed bodies, limbs and other mangled body parts being kept in four specially requisitioned containers at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Medical superintendent Dillip Kumar Parida said the bodies hadn't shown signs of further decomposition, but indications are that a call would need to be taken instantly after the results of the DNA tests arrive. A random check is being done every day to check for signs of decomposition.
"The civic body is ready for mass disposal of bodies at short notice. Everything depends on when the signal comes from the government," a municipal official said.
The Satyanagar electric crematorium, one of the four sites identified by the civic authorities, was the busiest one when bodies had piled up everywhere at the peak of the pandemic. The other three places are Aiginia, close to AIIMS, Kapilprasad and Bharatpur.
Civic officials have already conveyed to the state government that any date after June 15, the last day of the Raja festival, would be convenient for a mass cremation if the need arises.
The Open Magazine of India by Artmotion Network (https://magazine.armotion.com/)
