Balasore train tragedy toll mounts to 291

PTI, Jun 17, 2023, 5:05 PM IST

Cuttack: The death toll in the Balasore train accident mounted to 291 after a passenger from Bihar succumbed to his injuries at SCB Medical College Hospital here on Saturday, officials said.

The passenger was identified as Sahil Mansur (32) of Roshanpur in Bhagalpur district of Bihar. He was undergoing treatment at the ICU of trauma care, hospital sources said, adding that the patient was also suffering from a kidney-related ailment. He was also under dialysis, they said.

SCB Medical College Hospital Superintendent Dr Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra said the patient died due to cardiac arrest. He had multiple injuries both internal and external and also had renal issues.

Mishra said of the 205 patients admitted at the SCB medical college hospital, 46 patients are still under treatment which included 13 patients in ICU. ”Of the 13 patients in ICU, the condition of two to three people remain critical,” he said, adding that the condition of the remaining patients was stable.

On Friday, Prakash Ram, 22, a migrant labourer hailing from Pathra village in Bihar’s Gopalganj district died at the SCB Medical College Hospital.

Earlier on Tuesday, a passenger named Bijay Paswan, also from Bihar, had succumbed to his injuries at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

As many as 287 people had died on the spot in the triple train crash on June 2 while 1,208 persons were injured.

Three trains— Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train — were involved in the pile-up on June 2, being described as one of India’s worst train accidents.

The Coromandel Express rammed into a stationary goods train and many of its carriages overturned including some onto another train – the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express which was also passing by at the same time.

Meanwhile, as many as 81 bodies remain unidentified at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Though above 70 people have already given blood samples for their DNA sampling, the reports are still awaited for verification, an official said.

The authorities of AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Saturday wrote a letter to the Delhi-based Central Forensic laboratory to send the DNA sampling test report for at least 15 persons as their family members were eagerly waiting outside the hospital to take the body for last 15 days.