Odisha Train Accident: How Indian Railways Is Helping Families Find Their Missing Loved Ones

Indian Railways helpline number 139 is working round the clock for connecting the families, relatives of passengers affected in this rail accident.

New Delhi: To help families locate their loved ones affected by the triple train accident in Balasore, the Indian Railways, in coordination with the Odisha government, has prepared three online links with photos of those killed and lists of passengers admitted to different hospitals. "In order to facilitate the families of those who are still unaware about the whereabouts of their relatives in the triple train accident in Bahanaga, Odisha, Indian Railways with the support of the Odisha government has taken the initiative to locate them.

"The family members/relatives/friends and well-wishers of the passengers affected in this unfortunate accident can locate using the link of photos of deceased, lists of passengers admitted in different hospitals and also about unidentified bodies using these following detail," the railways said in a statement.

Useful Links

The railways has appealed to people to use the three links -- link of photos of the deceased (https:rcodisha.nic.in/Photos Of Deceased with Disclaimer.pdf ), link of lists of passengers undergoing treatment in different hospitals ( https://www.bmc.gov.in/train-accident/download/Lists-of-Passengers-Undergoing-Treatment-in-Different-Hospitals_040620230830.pdf ), and link of unidentified persons under treatment at SCB Cuttack ( https://www.bmc.gov.in/train-accident/download/Un-identified-person-under-treatment-at-SCB-Cuttack.pdf ).

Railway Helpline Number 

It also said that Railway Helpline number 139 is working round the clock for connecting the families/ relatives of passengers affected in this rail accident. Helpline 139 is being manned by senior officials. Also, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Helpline number 18003450061/1929 is also working 24x7. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Commissioner's office has established a control room to help affected families.

The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred around 7 PM on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district.

101 Bodies Still Unidentified, 55 Handed  Over To Relatives

In the aftermath of the tragic train accident in Odisha, which resulted in the loss of at least 275 lives and left over 1000 individuals injured, officials on Monday said that there are still 101 bodies yet to be identified. Talking to ANI, Divisional Railway Manager of the Eastern Central Railways Rinkesh Roy said that around 200 people are still being treated in various hospitals in Odisha. "About 1,100 people were injured in the accident, out of which about 900 people were discharged after treatment. Around 200 people are being treated in various hospitals in the state. Out of 278 people who died in the accident, 101 bodies are yet to be identified," Roy told ANI.

Vijay Amrit Kulange, Commissioner, of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation told ANI, "Of the total 193 bodies kept in Bhubaneswar, 80 bodies have been identified. 55 bodies have been handed over to the relatives. More than 200 calls have been received on BMC's helpline number 1929. The dead bodies are being identified and handed over to the relatives."

The devastating collision, involving two passenger trains and a freight train, took the lives of at least 275 people and caused injuries to over 1100 others in Balasore. This tragic incident has had a profound impact across India.

The accident occurred when the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, causing several coaches to derail onto the adjacent track. Subsequently, the Howrah Express, traveling from Yesvantpur to Howrah, collided with the affected carriages at high speed, resulting in further derailment.