Hirakhand express derailment: Body bags keep arriving at Rayagada headquarters

Rayagada: The bodies of those who died in the Hirakand Express railway accident at Rayagada were still being brought to the district headquarters hospital here on Sunday evening, though the accident had occurred on the night of the previous day. People were frantically searching for their family members; 17 missing persons’ complaints were filed with the local police on the hospital premises.

When this report was filed, 31 bodies had reached the hospital and only 15 of them had been identified — many were so badly damaged they could not be identified.

Twenty-three people were being treated at the hospital for injuries. Some of them were made to sleep on the floor as there were not enough beds in the hospital.

There was lack of coordination by railway authorities. A help desk was opened at the hospital by the local police after people complained.

There were not enough ambulances available in the morning so following post-mortems the bodies were kept outside for a long time. This angered the families of the deceased. Things went more smoothly in the afternoon.

Bodies that can’t be identified will be preserved for some days, according to hospital authorities.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu who visited the hospital on Sunday said, “It’s an unfortunate incident. I have asked the inquiry committee to conduct a swift probe into the incident.”

He did not reply to questions posed by media persons whether modernisation of the railways had taken priority over the safety of passengers.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Damodara Chinnarajappa and Chief Secretary of the Odisha government also visited the hospital.