Odisha train tragedy: School building where bodies were stored likely to be demolished!

The Bahanaga High School building, where bodies of the triple train accident victims were kept, will be demolished if the school managing committee wants, informed Balasore Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde on Thursday.

The statement from Shinde came when he visited the school premises which was used as a temporary morgue to store the bodies of victims of the triple train crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the district.

“We have used some old building rooms of the school as a temporary mortuary. The classes will resume on June 16. We will respect whatever decision the school managing committee takes,” Shinde said while speaking to the media.

“We have demanded to demolish the school building where the bodies were kept and construct a new one. The District collector has assured us that all our demands will be fulfilled. The classes will resume after a puja at the school,” said Rajaram Mohapatra, a member of the school managing committee.

It is worthwhile to mention here that 288 people were killed in the triple train accident on June 2nd evening at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore.

As many as 21 coaches were derailed and severely damaged in the accident trapping hundreds of passengers.

Limbless and headless bodies of more than 250 passengers, who perished in one of the worst train accidents in India, were kept on the school premises. 

As their school turned into a temporary morgue, students of the 65-year-old educational institution expressed their fear and are apprehensive to resume their studies in the school.