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Only 22 bodies identified

Manik Banerjeein Gaisal (West Bengal)

Rescue work began this morning to extricate bodies from four coaches, piled up on top of each other due to the impact of the collision between two express trains yesterday. The chances of any survivor being found inside them was practically remote.

Two cranes of 140 tonnes and 85 tonnes capacity were involved in the operations as parts of human bodies could be seen hanging precariously from the mangled coaches.

Relatives were seen making anxious queries about their near and dear ones, who had been travelling in the Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail and the Guwahati-bound Awadh-Assam Express.

Stench filled the air, while severed limbs lay strewn at the accident site.

North Dinajpur district magistrate Prasant said only 22 bodies have been identified so far. They included those of 16 Indian Army jawans, three Border Security Force and two Indian Air Force personnel.

He feared that more than 100 passengers might be trapped inside the four coaches.

Ruling out any sabotage, he said mechanical or human failure might be the reason for the accident.

He said 297 of the injured were admitted to different hospitals where the condition of one-third of them was stated to be critical.

He said 121 of the injured have been admitted to the North Bengal medical college in Jalpaiguri, 49 to Islampur and the rest to other hospitals.

UNI

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