In an unexpected turn of events, a young man was discovered alive two days after the horrific train accident in Odisha. The youth, identified as Dulal Mazundar, a resident of Assam, was rescued during the ongoing track restoration work.
The devastating train accident took place on Friday, June 2, near Balasore, Odisha, around 7 PM, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train. The catastrophe has claimed 275 lives so far and injured over a thousand. Mazundar was severely injured during the crash and was found a considerable distance from the main site of the accident.
Mazundar was discovered unconscious by workers on Monday morning, during the restoration of the damaged tracks. The young man was immediately transported to the nearest hospital in Soro due to the severe injuries he had sustained, particularly to his head and hands. His treatment was subsequently continued at the Balasore hospital.
According to the medical superintendent at Baleswar, Mazundar’s condition is currently stable. However, difficulties are being encountered in his treatment due to his impaired speech ability.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has revised the death toll from the tragic accident to 275, down from the initial figure of 288. This adjustment was made after it was discovered that some of the bodies had been counted twice in the initial aftermath of the crash. The local administration is now grappling with the management and storage of 187 unidentified bodies.
A government statement mentioned that the bodies of 170 victims from the Balasore train accident have been transferred to various hospitals in Bhubaneswar, including AIIMS, AMRI, SUM Hospital, Capital Hospital, KIMS Hospital, and Hi-Tech Hospital.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Railway Minister, has called for a CBI inquiry into the accident. Alongside this, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will continue their own investigations into the incident.