Bihar updates the dead toll from the Odisha railway tragedy to 43
According to a disaster management department official, there have already been 43 deaths of passengers from Bihar in the railway accident in Balasore, Odisha.
On Wednesday, the government released statistics showing that 18 people are still missing and 47 people have been wounded. The official also said that 28 corpses had been delivered to the victims’ families.
The authorities, however, said on Tuesday that the tragedy claimed the lives of 35 people.
A delegation made up of four officials from the Bihar government has been to Balasore. They are assisting the victims’ families in identifying the corpses of the deceased. The authorities and officials are working together to plan the DNA test since some of the deceased corpses are hard to identify.
In the last four days, our team has collected samples from six individuals for DNA testing. They are residents of the districts of Purnea, Samastipur, Sheikhpura, Begusarai, Gaya, and east Champaran. We also provide a bus service for patients who have recovered from their injuries and been released from the hospital, as well as an ambulance to transfer the deceased to their last resting places, the official said.
In the meanwhile, Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, on Tuesday presided over a meeting of top officials, including the chief secretary and the commissioner of disaster management, and discussed the aftermath of the tragedy.
