Railways put Odisha accident toll at 278 as three more succumb to injuries

Bhubaneswar: Railways put the official death toll in the Odisha triple train crash at 278, stating that three more people have succumbed to their injuries.

The state government's revised toll, however, remained unchanged at 275.

Khurda Road Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Rinkesh Ray said on Monday that apart from 278 deaths, 1,100 people were injured in the June 2 accident.

On the state government's toll remaining at 275, he said, "Figures do change with time." The toll was earlier put at 288, which the state government revised to 275 on Sunday, claiming some bodies were counted twice.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also a former Railway Minister, questioned the figures, stating that 61 people from her state have died and 182 others are still missing.

Roy said of the 1,100 injured, less than 200 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.

He said that of the 278 bodies, 177 have been identified while 101 more are yet to be identified and these unclaimed bodies have been kept in six different hospitals.

Roy said the Railways has deployed people in states such as Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to locate any missing person.

He said the bodies will be preserved in a scientific manner. (PTI)