Balasore , June 6, 2023 (City Times): More than 100 bodies of Odisha Balasore train crash are still unclaimed even after more than 80 hrs of this horrific mishap. In this accident 278 people lost their life. Authorities are debating how long the bodies can be kept. Many of these bodies had been mutilated and decomposing and could not be kept for to be identified by their relatives. Blood samples from all the dead bodies are collected so that DNA comparison can be done later, and their family members can identifiy them. A senior doctor at Delhi’s premier hospital, AIIMS, said it is “not recommended” to keep these dismembered body for long, Even embalming would not help To preserve them for a long time.
Bodies can be stored for 7-8 hours, or even 12 hours
Head of AIIMS anatomy A Shariff, said the bodies could only be preserved for a long time if properly treated within 12 hours. “Decomposition depends on many factors, including temperature. As long as the temperature is not too high, bodies can be stored for 7-8 hours, or even 12 hours. Ice and cooling slows down the decomposition. Dr Shariff told reporter of a premier media house. AIIMS hospital in Bhubaneswar has requested at least five freezers from the port of Paradip to slow the rate of decomposition of the bodies brought in after the tragic three train crashes in Balasore on Friday night.
Family are shown mutilated body through a slide show
The grieving family are shown mutilated body through a slide show of photographs by the authorities so that they can identify them. Doctors said, If you don’t do embalming treatment for more than 12 hours after death, it will not be effective and the rate of decay will be very fast. If the body is damaged, it will be difficult to embalm and you just inject local fluid, which is not recommended.
AIIMS received the body after 30 hours of the train accident
As time passed, the railway department instructed relatives to call 139 to identify the deceased. AIIMS in Bhwaneswar received 123 bodies on Sunday. AIIMS director Ashutosh Biswas said that AIIMS received the body after 30 hours of the train accident. Our main goal was to prevent further deterioration of the body. The body was kept in cold storage and embalming was done with war oil. Dr Biswas said the body would be kept in a freezer. Usually used to transport fish, meat or other perishable goods, each container can hold 30 to 40 bodies. Experts from different hospitals and different cities came to help preserve the body.
